The Reunion
by lynalexandria
Summary: Olivia and Fitz see each other after a long time suppressing their feelings, although they're both desperate to reconnect.
1. Chapter 1

**NSFW**

* * *

Fitzgerald Grant III sat at the bar and sighed heavily into his drink as he swished it around a bit. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was be out socializing, but all of his friends had begged him to come out to this Christmas party, and he sort of felt obligated to. He knew he was kind of being a party pooper by just sitting alone, but he couldn't help himself. The holidays just really put him in a bad mood.

Although he felt as if graduation was just yesterday, tonight was the night of his 20 year high school reunion. He was busy handling a very messy divorce during the 15th year celebration so it was kind of nice to see some old faces. He still occasionally spoke to his friends Andrew and Hollis but, for the most part, he hadn't seen some of these people since the night of graduation.

Their old school, Quantico High, had graciously allowed them the use of the old gym free of charge. The ladies of the decorating committee were very much in the Christmas spirit and everything was a mix of vibrant red, green, and silvers. Although there was an open bar available, the group had spiked the punch and there were plenty of tipsy people on the dance floor having a good time.

Fitz and his now ex-wife, Mellie, had a very solid custody plan in place for their 3 children. Gerry, Karen, and Teddy were to stay with their mom during the school year, but spend their holidays and summer vacation with their father. This year was a bit different, though. Mellie wanted to take the kids on vacation with her to the Caribbean with her new husband. He was very against the idea at first, but the kids seemed fairly excited about the trip and he didn't want to be the mean old dad who ruined all their fun.

Mellie and Fitz had gotten married right after they finished college. They had met in a study hall for one of their classes and they hit it off almost immediately. Their relationship was pretty off and on, but when they found out that Mellie was pregnant near the end of their senior year, her parents insisted on them tying the knot. Both of them were apprehensive about the decision, but they carried on with the idea anyway.

After Fitz found out Mellie was cheating on him, though, he had had enough. She fought him tooth and nail during the divorce settlements until she got almost everything that she wanted. The judge awarded her custody of their children, very large child support checks, and he was forced to leave the home that they built together in California. As soon as the proceedings were over, her returned to his home state of Virginia to try and rebuild his life once more.

He hadn't had much luck on the dating scene, either. After being with somebody for so long, it was hard for him to really get back in the swing of things. He was almost 40 now and the dating pool in his age range was pretty limited. He had gone out with a few younger women as well, but it seemed like all the wanted was an older man to give them money and pay their bills. After all these years of being stuck in a dead marriage with Mellie, though, Fitz craved more. He wanted to find somebody he could actually spend the rest of his life with, not just some cheap hookers.

Fitz looked down at his watch and saw that it was almost 9pm. It wasn't extremely late, but he really felt like just going home and watching some television. He realized that it was a little sad for a grown man to be going back to an empty apartment just to drink a beer and watch the highlights of a football game, but that's where he wanted to be.

The other part of him wanted to avoid home all together. The kids trip with Mellie was fairly last minute so he had already decorated for Christmas. The year before Karen had helped him pick out a Christmas tree while the boys got all new ornaments. They decorated his place together and he thought it was absolutely perfect.

Now, it brought him nothing but despair. There were wrapped gifts underneath the tree, he had bought a stack of their favorite holiday movies for them all to binge, and even his fridge and cabinets were filled with the kids favorite foods. He had done all that work, just for them to choose their mother over him.

Fitz couldn't say he blamed them, though. Who would want to spend a Christmas with some old guy when they could be relaxing on the beach?

He shook his head of this thoughts and tried not to be so hard on himself. After downing the rest of his drink, he slid it over to the bartender so that he could fill it up once more. Fitz felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out to see that he had gotten a text from Karen.

 **Are you okay, daddy?** \- Karen

 **I'm fine. Is there something wrong?** \- Daddy

 **I just feel kind of bad for leaving you all by yourself on Christmas** \- Karen

 **You kids have a good time. I'm at a party right now with some friends!** \- Daddy

 **Are you sure?** \- Karen

 **Positive. Give your brothers a hug for me!** \- Daddy

Fitz sighed and slid his phone back into his pocket and tried not to think about the fact that this would be his first holiday alone. He sipped the drink that the bartender put in front of him, slightly shutting his eyes as the liquid burned his throat a bit.

Hollis and Andrew had been going around and catching up with everyone when they saw Fitz nursing his drink at he bar. They had their own cups of punch in their hands and huge smiles on their faces. The two of them came and sat on either side of him, laughing and joking about something that somebody had said.

'How much longer are you going to sit here, Fitzy?' Andrew asked, slapping him on the back in a terrible attempt to cheer him up. 'You need to come and talk to everybody.'

'I told you guys I'm not really in a mingling mood.' he reminded, straightening out his jacket and lightly wincing from the blow in between his shoulder blades.

While Fitz was forced to grow up pretty fast after Mellie found out she was pregnant, Andrew and Hollis never stopped living the partying lifestyle. They still went out to drink and have a good time, all while chasing after anything in a skirt and a shapely pair of legs. As immature as they were, they were the only two who offered to come across the country and help him pack his things, so for that he'd forever be grateful.

'You've got to get into the Christmas spirit, man!' Hollis urged, his speech slightly slurring from all the drinks he had had.

'Sorry, guys.' he shrugged his shoulders. 'I'm really just not feeling it.'

Hollis was about to speak again, but Andrew opened his mouth first. He wasn't nearly as drunk as Hollis so he knew he'd probably handle the situation a lot better. Neither of them had ever seen Fitz this down in the dumps and it was actually pretty concerning.

'Why don't you at least come sit at the table with us?' he suggested. 'We're all telling old football stories, and you know you're the only person who can tell the one about how coach fell in the mud that day at practice.' Andrew grinned and nudged him.

Fitz lightly smiled at the memory. It was the first time that night his lips had curled up into anything except a frown, but he still shook his head. 'No, thanks. I think I'm going to get out of here pretty soon. I'm going to have a drink of water then just get in my car.'

Andrew sighed but stood up from his seat. 'Alright, man. And you know you don't have to spend Christmas alone, right? I'm going to my parent's place in Vermont, and you know how much they love you.'

He chuckled lowly. 'Thanks for the offer, Andrew. I'll keep it in mind.'

'Good.' he smiled and nodded his head before patting his shoulder and dragging Hollis off with him so he wouldn't harass Fitz.

Fitz had, for the most part, drowned out the music in the background that was playing. It sounded pretty light compared to the sounds of everybody laughing and talking so he really could barely make out the words. It was mostly fast and upbeat songs, but this tune in particular was slow.

'Tis the season to be jolly  
But how can I be when I have nobody  
The yuletide carol doesn't make it better  
Knowing that we won't be together

A silent night, I know it's gonna be  
Joy to the world but it's gonna be sad for me

What do the lonely do at Christmas  
Oh, what do the lonely do at Christmas time

He nearly snorted when he realized how similar the lyrics were to his situation. Fitz caught the bartenders attention so that he could order a glass of water. There was some in one of the coolers closer to the party, but he didn't want to walk through the crowd to get to it. Plus, he was pretty sure that somebody had already replaced it with some clear Vodka in it, and that's not what he needed.

His head was tilted downwards as he looked at the remainder or scotch in his glass. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the barstool beside him squeaking that he looked up to see who had joined him. It was a woman with long, flowing dark hair. She was digging through her purse to find something so Fitz couldn't exactly tell who it was.

'Some party, huh?' he asked, just trying to make casual conversation.

'You wouldn't really know.' the woman laughed lightly. 'You've been over here nursing your drink the whole night.'

'Touché.' Fit smirked and slightly raised his glass before downing the rest of his drink.

The woman crossed her legs and finally turned to face him after pulling out her debit card from her wallet. His face almost lit up when he realized who it was. 'Olivia Pope. As I live and breathe.'

'Hello, Fitzgerald.' she smiled sweetly at him.

Olivia and Fitz had a fairly complicated past. Back in high school, they both had huge crushes on one another. He was the star of their football team, and she was the most popular girl in school. It seemed like a match made in heaven, although their union never came to be. At the time she seemed to be much more into nerdy guys, and Fitz didn't think he'd ever have a shot with her. Despite all of that, they were really good friends.

But, that was years ago and way too much time had passed now. Fitz didn't know if anybody really ever got over their first love, though.

Fitz's facial expression wasn't lost on Olivia. Even when they were in school together, she knew how much he liked her. She never really understood why he never asked her out, and she was way too stubborn to make the first move herself. They were both young and dumb, and now here they were sitting on a pile of wasted time.

Olivia really hadn't seemed to age a bit in his eyes. Obviously her face had matured some, but she still looked like his little Livvie to him. He had given her that nickname during their freshman year, and she always pretended that she hated it. She was wearing a black, sequined dress that ended sinfully at her thighs. Her hair was in big, bouncy curls, and at the bottom of her legs were a pair of black pumps.

'I didn't think you'd be gracing us with your presence.' he teased.

'I wasn't at first.' she admitted. 'But, I figured it couldn't do much harm to see some old faces.'

'So you decided to isolate yourself from the party?' he questioned with an eyebrow raised.

'Well, it looked like you needed a friend.' Olivia said, somewhat sympathetically.

Fitz was about to object, but all he could do was laugh lightly and shake his head. 'You always knew how to read me like a book, Pope.'

'You're like the easiest person in the world to read, Grant.' she brushed off his compliment before handing her card over to the bartender so that she could open a tab. 'I see Andy and Hollis abandoned you over here.'

'I told them to go enjoy themselves.' he shrugged. 'And you know Andrew hates being called Andy. You're obviously trying to start a fight around here.'

Olivia nearly snorted. 'Andrew doesn't scare me. I've gone against bigger monsters in bigger closets.'

'Even after all these years, you still haven't realized how tiny you are.' he looked her up and down. 'You're 5'3, and you still think you can take everyone down with your bare hands.'

'And I can.' she said in a matter of fact tone as she accepted her drink from the bartender and put her debit card away once more.

Olivia was the shortest person in their graduating class, and she was definitely teased for it. She used to always say that one day she would hit her growth spurt and be taller than everybody else, but that day never came. She grew maybe one more inch in college and had been stagnant ever since.

Fitz playfully scoffed. 'I bet you still aren't tall enough to ride the rides at King's Dominion, either.'

'I don't know why I even came over here. I should have known that an asshole could never change his ways.' she feigned hurt.

'I'm not an asshole. You're just short.' he chortled. 'What have you been up to, Olivia? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever.'

'You haven't.' she shook her head. 'You never call, or text. It's almost as if you've forgotten I was your best friend.'

'Are you serious right now?' he laughed. It was the first time he genuinely laughed in days and it felt amazing to finally get it out. Even after all this time, Olivia brought out the best in him. 'You were definitely not my best friend.'

'Oh really?' her eyebrows quirked.

'We were acquaintances at best.' he said in a somewhat sympathetic tone.

'Hey!' she huffed and smacked his shoulder. 'Was I an acquaintance when I let you see my answers to Mr. Beene's Political Science test?'

Fitz thought for a few moments as he tried remember exactly what she was talking about. As soon as it hit him, he began to laugh even harder and a tear even ran down his face. 'Your answers were wrong! We both made a 32!'

'I still let you see them!' she defended, although she was now laughing along with him.

Once their giggling subsided, Olivia took a sip of her drink and tried to think of what to say next. A lot had happened since the last time they saw one another and she almost didn't know where to begin.

'Once I graduated from college, I went to law school. I started practicing family law in Nebraska and—'

Fitz's nose crinkled. 'You? You were in Nebraska?' he interrupted.

'Yes.' she grinned. 'You seem surprised.'

'I am.' he nodded. 'I just can't imagine you in some little small town with nothing to do.'

'Well, I'm just full of surprises.' she said cutely before continuing her story. 'But, you're right. I didn't really like Nebraska, so I decided to move. I stayed in New York for a little while, and now I'm back here in Virginia. My parents are getting older and I wanted to be closer to them.'

He smiled weakly. 'Mom and Big Gerry passed away in a wreck a few years after graduation. They never really got a chance to see what I became.'

Olivia frowned and reached out to touch his shoulder. 'I'm so sorry to hear that. You know that I was always really fond of your parents. I would have come to the services if I had known.'

Fitz shook his head. 'It's alright. They always told me that they didn't really want anybody fussing over them once they passed away. We had a simple closed casket ceremony, and that was it.'

'But, I would have still been there for you.' Olivia countered. 'I know how close you all were. You must have taken it pretty tough.'

'It was pretty hard at first.' he admitted. 'But, I secluded myself for a while and didn't talk to anyone and the pain just eventually went away. I guess I just didn't want to be a burden.'

Olivia opened her mouth to respond but then quickly pursed her lips together and went quiet for a few moments. She raised her hand to smack his shoulder again, this time a bit harder than before. 'You're such an idiot!'

'Ouch!' he winced. 'What was that for?'

'Every time you go through something, you pull away from everybody and pretend like you're okay. You become some brooding hermit before you admit that you need help.' she huffed and sipped her wine. 'You don't have to always handle things by yourself, Fitz.'

He simply smirked and shook his head. It seemed like it had been forever since Olivia had really taken the time to thoroughly chew him out about something he had done. He actually kind of missed it. 'You're right. But, it had been years since we last spoke, Liv. I didn't want to just call you out of the blue with bad news.'

'I understand that I suppose.' she sighed. 'What about you? What's been going on in your life?'

'Nothing much, really.' he lied. 'I took over Big Gerry's construction company right after graduation, so I never really got the chance to go to medical school like I have planned. Since then I've just been working to expand the business. Right now we have offices in 29 states.'

'That sounds wonderful, Fitz.' she smiled and turned her barstool so that she could face him. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure.' he nodded.

'Is there a reason you're over here all by yourself instead of enjoying the party?' she asked, gesturing over to their drunk classmates all doing a line dance on the floor.

Fitz thought for a few moments before answering. He knew that if he started talking about his problems then he probably wouldn't be able to stop. He didn't want to unload all of his issues on her after not seeing her in years.

'I guess I just needed a break from the crowd.' he said, making up the best excuse he could.

'That's bullshit and you know it.' Olivia took another sip of her drink. 'I know you pretty well, Fitz, and I know when you're lying.'

'People change, Liv.' he laughed lightly. 'How can you be so sure I'm lying to you?'

'Your ears turn red when you tell a lie.' she explained. 'And, your top lip twitches.'

His eyebrows raised and he instinctively reached up to grab both of his ears. 'Are you serious?'

'Very.' she chuckled. 'You're still the same old Fitzgerald Grant. You can't hide anything from me. Now, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to torture you for answers?'

'Liv, I really don't want to unload all of this shit on you.' he said, trying to resist. 'I just have a lot going on right now.'

'Then lay it on me.' Olivia pressed. 'Nobody around here is listening to us.'

Fitz sighed but nodded his head as he tried to figure out where to start. 'My kids are supposed to be spending the holidays with me this year, but they decided to vacation with their mother instead. This is the first holiday I've ever spent completely alone.' his shoulders lightly slumped. He had never said any of this out loud, but it felt pretty good to just let it out.

'I'm sorry about that, Fitz.' she frowned. 'I didn't even know you got married. Well, I always assumed but—'

'It's not something I'm exactly proud of.' he shook his head. 'We were young and fresh out college. When I found out that she was pregnant with my child then I felt sort of obligated.'

'Did Martha and Big Gerry get a chance to meet her?' she asked curiously.

'They met her a few times, actually.' he chuckled lightly. 'They couldn't stand her. Mom nearly begged me to break up with her, and Gerry even offered me money.'

'Then why'd you stay?' Olivia's head cocked to the side.

Fitz cut his eyes at her as he pondered her question. Nobody had ever asked him that before so he never really had to think about it. 'I guess in the beginning it was because it was easy and convenient. At the time I didn't really see the bad qualities that everybody else saw in her. I didn't found out about those until later.'

'Do you remember what Hollis' mom told us during senior year? It was the night before graduation, I believe.'

He thought for a few moments then cleared his throat and spoke in an over exaggerated southern accent. '"Anything worth having ain't going to come easy."'

Olivia smirked. 'That's exactly right.'

'If only I could have remembered that back then.' he chuckled humorlessly and took his first sip of water for the evening. 'What about you? Are there any little Olivia's running around terrorizing people?'

'Harsh.' she laughed. 'And there are two of them, actually. They're very sweet girls. Just like their mother.'

'If they're anything like their mother then they're probably terrible.' he teased.

'They can definitely be a handful.' she admitted, sipping her drink. 'But, they're visiting their father in Nebraska this week.'

'Divorced?' he asked somewhat cautiously.

'Yep.' Olivia nodded.

'Then he's an idiot.' he said, although it was probably the liquor in his system that made him respond so honestly. 'I can't think of any reason for somebody to let you go.'

She blushed a little but then smiled and reached out to touch his knee, rubbing it lightly. 'Thanks, Fitz. That means a lot.'

Fitz glanced down at her hand, but tried his best to ignore the feeling that was building up inside of him. He couldn't believe that even after all these years, Olivia still had this affect on him. He had been doing a wonderful job of surprising his feelings, but now that they were together again it was bringing back a lot of buried emotions. His nostrils flared up a bit and his jaw clenched.

The sudden rigidness in his body didn't go unnoticed by her and she immediately pulled her hand away. She didn't want to cross any boundaries, but it just felt so good talking to him again and just being together. Olivia always tried to put her feelings for Fitz on the back burner because they were so young, but even now she could tell that their connection was still there.

'Sorry.' she mumbled lowly, but loud enough for him to hear. 'I don't mean to cross any lines.'

He waved off her comment. 'Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. I should probably be getting out of here, though.'

Her head shot up. 'Oh, did you have other plans tonight?'

'No.' he said, sliding down from his seat. 'I just kind of feel like being alone. It was nice seeing you, Liv. We should probably exchange numbers.'

'Wait!' she grabbed his arm. 'Just stay for a little while longer. We have so much catching up to do, and I don't know when I might see you again.'

Fitz glanced out into the large crowd of people, inhaling sharply as he thought about having to socialize with everyone. 'I don't know. I—'

'Just you and me.' she interrupted. 'We'll go somewhere private and talk.'

He sighed and glanced down at his watch as if he was just so busy, but they both knew the truth. Fitz really just wanted to go home and have a pity party for himself, but Olivia wasn't going to allow him to do that.

'Maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.' he compromised.

Olivia smiled brightly and hopped up from her seat. 'Excellent! I know just the place we can go!'

'Where?' he raised his eyebrows.

'Just trust me.' she winked and reached out to grab her glass of wine. Olivia downed the rest of the contents, not wanting to waste a single drop, before taking Fitz's hand and leading him behind the bar and away from the party.

He hesitantly followed her as they headed for the back door of the gym. Her hand was just as small and soft as he remembered it being. Her tiny, slender digits always fit perfectly into the grooves of his, which was a fact that they would both vehemently deny when they were younger. Nobody seemed to notice as they went through the emergency exit and into the cold night.

The snow had been falling pretty heavily for the past couple of days in Virginia. They were almost at 10 inches tonight and the temperature was almost below freezing. Olivia let go of his hand and cross her arms against her chest and shivered. Her dress was pretty thick, but it was short and didn't do much to protect her from the blistering wind.

'What are we doing out here, Liv?' Fitz asked, following close behind her. He at least had on a sports jacket so he was a bit more protected against the elements. 'You're going to catch a cold.'

'I need to find something.' she explained, her teeth lightly clattering against each other as she continued to walk.

At first Fitz was afraid that she wouldn't be able to navigate on the icy pavement in her heels, but she definitely proved him wrong. She moved like an expert until they reached the back of the school where the football field was. He was still very confused about what she was doing, but he silently followed her.

When they reached the back wall they discovered that the school had put up a fence so that the field could no longer be accessed. Fitz sighed and took hold of her arm. 'We aren't going to be able to get through. Let's just head back inside.'

Olivia shook her head. 'What happened to your sense of adventure, Fitz? We've already come so far.'

'The gate is locked. How do you plan on getting past it?' he asked, gesturing toward the black steel.

She grinned and pulled her arm out of his grip. Olivia took a deep breath before setting the toe of her heel in between one of the links of the fence and boosting herself up against it. Fitz gave her a look of disbelief as he watched her climb over the fence. When he realized that she was being completely serious, he rushed to her side and took hold of her waist, helping her get all the way over.

Olivia landed somewhat gracefully on her feet then smiled at him. 'Come on. We're almost there.'

Fitz sighed and shook his head. Looking back on it, it was always Olivia who was getting them into all sorts of trouble. She always these big and bright ideas on what they should do, but most of the time they would end up getting caught. He usually would try and reason with her, but in the end they both knew that he'd follow her to the moon and back. Her motto was to 'Ask for forgiveness, not permission.', and that always scared him to death.

After seeing that she wasn't going to budge, Fitz climbed over the fence himself. He was a bit taller and way more agile so it didn't take him nearly as much effort to get over it. He continued to follow her until they reached a statue with the schools mascot on it. The large cougar was sitting on top of a cement pedestal with a golden plaque on the front of it.

'Here it is!' Olivia smiled and gestured to it.

Fitz nearly snorted as he realized that Olivia had obviously gone crazy over the past 20 years. 'You brought me all the way out here in the freezing cold and made me hop a fence just so we could stare at Colby the Cougar?'

'Yes!' she said as if her methods weren't strange at all.

Olivia kneeled down in front of the statue where the plaque was and began to feel around it as if she was looking for something. Fitz raised his eyebrows and stood beside her, watching to try and figure out what she was doing. He heard some things rattling and shaking until eventually she got the entire piece of metal off.

'Liv, what are you doing!?' he hissed and looked all around them to make sure that nobody was watching what they were doing. 'You're going to get us arrested!'

'Shush!' she admonished and held the plaque up, shoving it into his hands.

Fitz grabbed it and then groaned. 'Now it has my finger prints on it, too. We're both going to jail.'

'You're way too pretty for jail, Fitz.' she chuckled. 'They'd eat you alive in there.'

There was a small hole, about the size of a fist, that was burrowed into the concrete. Fitz watched on curiously because he actually had no idea that the little hiding spot was there. Olivia reached into it until her whole arm had disappeared. She grinned widely when she found what she was looking for and pulled it out.

'Got it!' she slid the object into her pocket.

'Got what exactly?' he asked, handing the metal back over so that she could reattach it.

Olivia pushed the plaque back on the pedestal and then stood to her feet. 'Don't worry about it. All will be revealed in due time.'

Fitz sighed. He slipped his arms out of the sleeves of his jacket and took it off completely then wrapped it around her body. She was going to object, but he held his hand up to halt her complaints.

'It's freezing out here. Just wear it until we get back inside.' he said, leading the way back to the doors to the school.

She wanted to complain but instead she slid her arm through the oversized sleeves and followed behind him. The jacket smelled just like Fitz, a fact that she loved, and because he had it on all night it was still pretty warm. Olivia did feel a little bad as she watched how the snow clung to his thin dress shirt, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

Fitz climbed over the fence first this time, then helped her over. They both made hurried strides towards the doors to the gym and managed to get in without anyone noticing. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief, happy to be back to where there was a working heater.

'Now can you tell me why I had to follow you out in the cold?' he asked, rubbing his arms to try and warm himself up.

'Okay, but don't freak out.' she instructed before digging into her pocket.

'I promise.'

Olivia pulled out a small canister than fit into her palm. On the top was a label that said 'Property of Olivia Pope. Do Not Touch!'. She opened it slowly and removed the lid, revealing the containments. On the bottom was about $10 in cash, but on top were 5 perfectly rolled marijuana cigarettes.

Fitz's breath hitched in the back of his throat. 'Olivia, are you serious?'

'What?' she asked as if it was no big deal. 'You seem a little tense. I'm a little tense. Let's just enjoy something.'

'How long of those things even been down there? They can't till be good.' he asked, picking one of them up and inspecting it. They were freezing cold considering the temperature outside. 'Don't they mold?'

'They were in an air safe container and if they were molding it would show outside of the paper.' she explained. 'And I left these here the night of graduation, but I never got a chance to come back and get them.'

'So, basically 20 years?' his eyebrow cocked.

'Basically.' she shrugged. '19 years and some months, I'd say.'

'How did you know that these things would still even be down there? Anything could have happened in the past two decades.' he said as he placed the blunt back into the case and watched her seal it.

'I just had a gut feeling.' Olivia smiled cutely at him. 'And my gut is never wrong. You know that.'

'What's your gut telling you about this weed right now?' he asked, watching her put the canister back into her pocket.

'Hmmm.' she hummed. 'It's telling me that we should go inside the bathroom and light them up.'

'Your gut is crazy.' he rolled his eyes.

'Please, Fitzy?' Olivia poked her bottom out and batted her eyelashes.

Fitz chuckled. 'That doesn't work on me anymore, Liv. I have a daughter now and I've learned how to resist the pouty face.'

'Well, if you don't do it for me then do it for yourself.' she urged. 'When was the last time you did something you wouldn't normally do?'

He sighed. 'Fine. I'll do this but we need to hurry up so we won't get caught.'

'I promise!' she grinned victoriously and grabbed him by the arm, leading him out of the doors of the gym and into the empty hallway.

Andrew and Hollis didn't notice that Fitz had followed Olivia outside, but they surely saw when they walked out of the gym with their arms connected. They were kind of surprised to see that he hadn't left yet, but when they saw him with Olivia then they knew he was okay. She had always been the only person able to bring him out of his shell.

Olivia glanced around and checked their surroundings before dragging Fitz into the women's restroom and locking the door behind them. This one in particular only had a 3 toilet stalls and 2 sinks with large mirrors on the wall. The walls were an off-white and there was writing all over the walls and doors. He leaned up against one of the sinks and looked around.

'So this is what a woman's bathroom looks like.' he said more to himself than to her.

'It's not anything too fancy.' she smirked and pulled the canister out of her pocket and placed it on the sink.

'Fancier than anything I've ever been to.' he shrugged. 'Usually the men's room stinks and there's pee on the floor.'

Olivia nearly snorted. 'That's because you're all a bunch of disgusting cavemen who don't know how to conduct yourselves. Maybe if you all learned how to aim they'd finally start installing scented hand soaps.'

Before Fitz could respond they heard somebody pulling at the door. Both of their eyes widened in surprise as they looked between each other and then back at the knob that was being turned. Olivia quickly stashed the weed into Fitz's suit pocket.

'Occupied!' she called out, hoping that the person would just go away.

Whoever was on the other end wasn't giving up that easily. They heard the sound of keys jingling and then watched as the lock turned and the door was pushed opened. Olivia and Fitz both smiled when they realized that is was just the janitor. He had been doing his nightly cleaning and was going around and checking the bathrooms.

'Scruffy?' Olivia asked, sighing with relief at the sight of the familiar face. Scruffy had been the custodian when they were in high school so they definitely didn't expect him to still be here.

'Olivia Pope is that you?' his eyebrows furrowed. Scruffy was now in his late 60's and sometimes his eyes got the best of him. He hadn't seen Olivia or Fitz since they graduated 15 years ago but they really hadn't changed a bit.

'It's been so long.' she smiled and went up to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Fitz approached where they were standing and placed his hand on the older man's shoulder. 'It's been a long time, Scruff. How've you been?'

'Pretty good.' he shrugged. 'Still out here mopping floors and keeping this old place clean.'

'When are you going to retire?' Olivia asked. 'You've been here forever. I'm sure you've served your time.'

'Soon.' he sighed dreamily. 'But, you know I can't go anywhere without my woman. It's been 40 years and Barbara still hasn't agreed to go out on a date with me.'

Olivia and Fitz both snickered. Scruffy had been trying to flirt with their English teacher, Barbara Tyler, since they had been working at the school, but he never had any luck. Every morning he'd bring her a flower and every afternoon he'd make sure to clean up her room just the way she liked it.

'Ms. Tyler still hasn't budged?' she asked, her tone somewhat sympathetic.

'No.' he shook his head. 'But, I'm wearing her down. I think that this year is the year she'll go get breakfast with me. The other day when I brought her a flower, she didn't throw it in the garbage.' Scruffy said proudly.

Fitz tried his best not to laugh at him. 'It must be love.'

'Why are you two locked in the bathroom anyway?' he asked, looking between them. 'Can't wait until you get home?'

Olivia smirked. 'We don't live together, Scruffy.'

'What?' his eyebrows raised. 'You mean to tell me that you two never got married?'

Fitz laughed a little awkwardly. 'Nope. We told you all that we were just friends.'

'Yep.' Olivia nodded, although she knew that nobody in the room really believed that. 'Just friends.'

'Hmph.' he huffed. 'Then it looks like I owe somebody some money.'

'Did you guys place bets on whether or not we'd get together?' Fitz crossed his arms.

'Just small ones.' Scruffy shrugged and rested his weight against the broom he had in his hands. 'I thought for sure I'd win this one. You two really screwed me over.'

Olivia snorted. 'Sorry, Scruff.'

'It's fine.' he sighed. 'Then why exactly were you in the bathroom?'

'We just um..' she hesitated, trying to come up with a good excuse. 'We just had a lot of catching up to do and didn't want to be disturbed.'

'I'll say.' he smirked. 'I could smell that weed in your pocket as soon as I opened the door.'

Olivia opened her mouth to object but then shut it once more and just chuckled. 'You always were an expert.'

'Of course.' he smirked and held his hand out.

She sighed. 'You drive a hard bargain.'

Olivia reached down into the pocket of the coat and pulled one of the blunts out and handed it over to Scruffy who immediately inspected it. He held it up to his face so that he could smell it and his nose scrunched up. 'Where'd you get this from?'

'Its' almost 20 years old.' she smirked, deflecting the question.

'Damn.' he murmured and put it into his pocket. 'I'll leave you two to it then.' Scruffy said, putting the cigarette into his pocket.

'Wait, Scruff.' Olivia grabbed his arm. 'You wouldn't happened to have a lighter on you, would you?'

He grinned and began to dig through the pocket on his jumpsuit before pulling out a neon green BIC lighter. It was cheap and looked pretty old, but it would definitely get the job done for the night. 'Knock yourself out, kiddos.'

'Thanks!' she smiled and shut the door behind him and locked it once more.

'What were you going to do if Scruffy hadn't had a lighter?' Fitz asked curiously.

'We would've had to find one.' Olivia shrugged. 'But, luckily he came through. It's a Christmas miracle.' she grinned and raised her arms up.

Fitz shook his head at her silliness but he was enjoying it. Olivia kicked her heels off and pushed them to the side and out of the way. She wouldn't usually approve of going barefoot in a public restroom, but she was wearing a pair of nude 'no show' socks that would protect the bottoms of her soles from the floor. She pulled one of the blunts of the pocket and held it in her mouth and lit the end of it.

'Do you smoke often?' Fitz asked as he watched her try and get it started.

'No.' she answered, keeping her eyes down on what she was doing. 'I haven't done it since college.'

'I didn't know you did it at all.' he mumbled.

'Seriously?' her eyebrows raised. 'I know that we never invited you to come with us, but you really didn't know?'

'I had no clue.' he said honestly. 'I mean, I always had my suspicions, but I could never prove it and you never talked about it.'

'You had way too much going for you, Fitz.' Olivia said softly. 'You had all types of football scholarships coming in and they were starting to drug test people around that time. I didn't want you getting into any trouble.'

'You had a lot on the line too, Liv.' he recalled. 'If you had gotten caught then they could've kicked you off the swim team, and kept you from attending any good schools. Your parents would have been furious.'

'My parents already knew. They didn't really want me to do it, but I was careful and they knew that.' she inhaled once more. 'I guess I was just trying to protect you.'

'You're always trying to save somebody, Olivia.' he chortled, although there wasn't anything really funny about the situation. 'You can't always protect me from everything.'

'Well, excuse me for trying.' she rolled her eyes and looked away from him. Both of them were silent for a few moments before she finally spoke again. 'I don't regret it, though. Not at all, actually. I'd do it again if I had the chance. You went off to do something that you loved and you were happy.'

'I know.' he sighed and slid to the floor, now sitting with his butt against the tile.

In those few seconds, Fitz's mind began to race about all the things that would have happened if things had worked out differently. Maybe if he had stayed home for a while longer then he would have gotten the courage to finally ask Olivia out. If he had never gone to school to play football, then he would have never met Mellie. As much as he couldn't stand her, though, she was the mother of her children and he couldn't imagine a life without them.

Olivia looked down at him at smiled. 'Don't get all pouty on me. You're going to blow my high.'

She sat down next to him and pressed her back against the wall. His jacket fit on her more like a dress so there was some excess fabric near the bottom that she was able to sit on. Olivia took one more puff of the blunt and then blew out smoke.

'I'm not getting pouty.' he said defensively. 'I was just thinking about some things. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if I hadn't gone off to school?'

Her eyebrows furrowed. Olivia didn't really like to focus on the 'what ifs' of life, but she knew exactly what would have happened. They both probably would have stayed in town and attended college at one of the more local schools. They would probably have signed up for the same classes and clubs because they were pretty much inseparable, and at some point she would have asked him out and they would have gotten married.

Olivia wouldn't have dared to say any of that out loud, though.

'No.' she shook her head. 'I've never thought about it. What do you think would have happened?'

Fitz inhaled sharply as his mind continued to race. 'Maybe I wouldn't have been such a coward.' he said underneath his breath.

She leaned in closer to him. 'What was that?'

'Nothing.' he shook his head. 'Nothing. I just kind of wish we could see some type of alternative timeline, you know? I just want to know.'

'I wish.' she agreed. 'But, what's done is done. And I think we both did pretty good for ourselves, right?'

'You're right.' he smiled although they both knew it was fake. Both of them were quiet for the next few minutes as the possibilities ran through their mind. It wasn't until Fitz spoke again that she pulled her head out of the clouds.

'Olivia.' he said, grabbing her attention. 'What's the real reason you came over and sat at the bar with me?'

 _Because I miss you, dumb ass._

'I already told you, Fitzy.' she said before handing the joint over to him. 'You looked like you needed a friend.'

He looked down at her hands for a few moments before finally taking it. Fitz held it closely and inspected before finally turning back to her. 'This is going to sound really lame, but I've actually never done this before.'

She smirked. 'You can't be serious right now.'

'I'm very serious.' he said, holding it up to his mouth. 'How do I do it?'

'It's easy. It's basically like smoking a regular cigarette.' Olivia said sympathetically.

Olivia sat up straight and rolled up the sleeves on Fitz's jacket so that she could have better use of her arms and fingers. She used one hand to place on top of his and the other rested gently on his back as she tried to coach him through the process.

'Stay calm. Put your lips around it and inhale. When you're done, let the smoke come out of your mouth and then breathe it in.' she instructed as she gently pushed it closer to his lips.

Fitz opened his mouth and did what she instructed. He noticed earlier how deeply she inhaled and tried to imitate that motion, but then he immediately regretted it. Instead of breathing out, he broke into a fit of uncontrollable coughs as if he was choking. Olivia rubbed his back through it all as he tried to catch his breath.

By the time he could get a couple of words out, his face had turned red and there were tears coming out of his eyes. 'That stuff is strong. I thought it was going to kill me.'

'You're not dying. You just need to relax.' she said as soothingly as possible. Olivia took it from him once more and put it in his mouth, inhaling again to try and show him the correct way to do it. 'Don't force it. Just let it happen.'

'Are you sure that this stuff isn't just old?' he asked as he wiped his watery eyes and hit his chest a couple of times in an attempt to clear it.

'It is, but that's not why you're coughing.' Olivia assured. 'Everybody coughs on their first try. Your body just isn't used to it. And, I think you're being a bit overdramatic.' she chuckled.

'I don't think it could ever get used to this.' he grunted.

She found his stubbornness a little amusing, but didn't comment on it. Olivia reached up and grabbed a few paper towels from the dispenser and helped to dab some of the wetness off his face. She handed the joint back off to him and began to rub his back just as she did before. He looked a little wary, but he tried again. This time he took it slow and tried to relax, just as she had suggested. Fitz took a few very small puffs before opening his mouth and letting the smoke float out.

'Like that!' she said, still trying to coach him through the process. 'Now, this time when you do it you need to suck in the smoke.'

Once they had finished the blunt, Fitz thought that they were finished for the night. He was almost positive that his clothes smelled like marijuana and he could see that Olivia's eyes were blood shot red. He didn't even want to imagine how he looked right then so he tried his best not to even think about it.

'How do you feel?' she asked, pulling the next blunt out of her pocket.

'The same.' he shrugged nonchalantly. 'Maybe this stuff just doesn't work on me.'

'Want to try again?' Olivia held up her hand, reminding that she had more.

'I don't think we should, Liv.' Fitz shook his head. 'What if somebody tries to come in here to use the bathroom?'

'This is why we never invited you to smoke with us.' her eyes rolled and she sat back against the wall, relaxing against the cool tile. Olivia placed the next joint in between her lips and lit the tip of it. 'You worry too much. Sometimes you just have to sit back and relax.'

Fitz's jaw clenched. He wanted to object, but he knew that Olivia was right about this one. It seemed like she was floating on cloud 9, while he was still just as tense as ever. Before she could even inhale, he reached out and grabbed it from her mouth so that he could take the first hit.

'Woah.' she giggled softly. 'Somebody grew some balls.'

'Funny.' he murmured as he tried to hold back his cough.

'Slow down there, Fitzy.' she smirked. 'Don't make yourself start coughing again because you're trying to show off.'

By the time they had finished the second one, they both were fully relaxed and high. The room was filled with smoke and Fitz had even undone a few of the buttons on the top of his shirt. Olivia had a hair tie in her purse so she fished it out so that she could pin her hair up and out of her face.

'Is this always what it feels like, Liv?' Fitz asked, looking up at the ceiling.

'That depends.' Olivia smiled dreamily. 'How do you feel?'

'My body just feels really light.' he said, trying to coherently explain what all he was going through. 'Almost like my chest is going to float away and leave my feet on the ground.'

She chuckled. 'The experience is different for everybody, but I guess you could describe it as that if you want. Do you feel more relaxed now?'

He nodded. 'Hell yeah.'

This time Olivia burst into laughter at his response. She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her eyes and it suddenly became more difficult for her to breathe. Fitz didn't really know what caused her outburst, but he began laughing alongside her. It wasn't because anything was funny, but just because her happiness was contagious and it felt so good just to be happy again.

Once their giggles subsided, Olivia leaned over to rest her head on Fitz's shoulder. His arm instinctively wrapped behind her back, pulling her closer into this embrace as they just sat there together. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke.

'I was lying earlier.' he said, bringing them out of their bubble. 'You really were my best friend, Olivia.'

'Seriously?' her lips turned up into a huge grin. 'I already knew that you big dummy. You were my best friend, too.'

'I forgot that.' he said, using his freehand to push some hair out of his face. 'We haven't talked in so long, I seriously forgot that you were my best friend.'

Olivia tilted her neck upwards so that she could look him in the eyes. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Of course.' he nodded. 'Ask me anything.'

She hesitated for a few moments, but then realized that if she didn't get this out now, then she may never get a chance to talk about it. 'Why didn't you ever call?'

His face immediately turned a bright shade of red and his body tensed up a bit. Fitz wasn't expecting her to ask him anything like that and he definitely wasn't prepared to answer. Instead of telling the truth, he tried his best to deflect the question.

'Why didn't you call me?' his eyebrow cocked.

Olivia shook her head. 'You're getting defensive. I didn't mean to make you upset, Fitz. I just really want to know why I never heard from you again. It's like after summer vacation you just completely disappeared. At first I thought you were just busy with football, but then weeks turned into months and months turned into years and then—. What happened?'

'We went to different schools. We were on different sides of the country.' he tried to reason. 'We just grew apart. It was bound to happen. Most people did.'

'Don't say that.' Olivia frowned. 'Just tell me what I did wrong. It's been years, Fitz. Let's just let it all out in the open.'

He sighed. 'You want the truth? I don't think it'll change anything.'

'I still want it.' she nodded. 'I need to hear it all, Fitz.'

'I didn't call because it was too hard. I had feelings for you, Olivia, and they weren't going away like I wanted them to.' Fitz said honestly. 'You started dating that asshole Edison and it was just too much. I thought that if I isolated myself, then I'd eventually forget about you.'

Her breath caught in the back of her throat, Fitz's comment stinging her a bit as she processed it. 'Did it work?' she asked lowly. 'Did you forget me?'

'No.' he sighed. 'I couldn't. I _can't_. You're permanently etched in my brain.' Fitz chuckled humorlessly.

'I only started dating Edison to make you jealous.' she admitted somewhat shamefully. Olivia knew it was a dumb decision, but she was only 17 at the time and it felt like a good idea then.

His eyes widened. 'Olivia, are you serious?'

'I know it was stupid and immature.' she brought her knees up and pressed them into her chest, hugging them tightly with her arms. 'But, I didn't know another way to get your attention. I thought if you saw me with somebody else then you'd finally get the courage to make a move.'

'Is that who you married?' Fitz could feel his jaw tightening as he got the question out. He already had a pretty good feeling as to what the answer would be, and he kind of didn't want to hear it, but he needed for her to say it out loud.

She nodded her head. 'He was comfortable and familiar. Edison always knew I didn't love him, but he always assured me that we'd grow to love each other. That part never happened.' Olivia said softly.

'Wow.' he huffed and leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling once more. 'All this wasted time.'

Suddenly, they both felt all too open and vulnerable. They trusted each other with these types of secrets, though. They knew that they weren't going to go anywhere or be used against them. Right now, they were just two best friends letting everything out into the open.

'We were young.' Olivia reminded gently, making herself seem smaller as she hugged her legs even tighter to her body. 'We didn't know any better back then.'

'I was a coward.' he murmured. It was something he had never really said out loud, but it actually felt better to hear it. 'Do you want to know what mom and Big Gerry told me when I brought Mellie home the first time?'

'What?' she asked curiously.

'They told me to take her back to the school, and to not come back unless I brought you with me.' Fitz chuckled at the memory. 'They hated her. Every time I would mention her name, they would just ask me about you.'

'I always knew your parents had good taste.' she teased lightly, making them both smile.

The room went completely quiet again for the next few minutes as they both tried to process the new information that was in the air. Even after all this time, being so open and honest was emotionally draining, but neither of them knew where to take the conversation from there. It felt like there was still so much so that needed to be said, but neither of them were willing to start it.

Fitz swallowed hard and cleared his throat. He felt mostly at fault for the situation they were in. If he had just been able to gather his nerves when they were in school, their lives would have been so much different now. Deciding he had had enough of standing in the shadows, he spoke up to make sure that Olivia could hear him loud and clear.

'I loved you, Olivia.' he said boldly, although his tone was in stark contrast with the nervousness with what he felt inside. Fitz didn't know what he was expecting to hear back, but he knew he needed to get that out.

When she didn't turn her head he spoke again. 'I loved you and I fucked up not showing you that. That will always be one of my biggest regrets.'

'Just one of them?' she asked meekly, still hugging her knees.

'The other one is letting us grow apart.' he reached out and touched her back, hoping that she would turn to face him again. 'Say something, Olivia. Say anything.'

Fitz felt her body rise and then fall as she let out a somewhat reluctant sigh. His fingers lightly flexed against her, trying to coax a response out of her. 'Will it matter?'

'It matters.'

Olivia turned so that she could face him, a tear threatening to prick at the corner of her eye. She didn't understand why she was being so emotional, but she would have to blame it on the weed. It wasn't fair that after all these years, Fitz still had this power over her and the way she felt. It was almost as if he had rekindled a flame that she was sure that she had stomped out long ago. Now she was about to be some crying mess in the middle of a public bathroom and she didn't really want that.

'I loved you, too.' she said softly, her voice cracking. 'I was in love with you.'

Fitz inhaled sharply, her words hitting him like a ton of bricks. Before he could say anything else, Olivia stood to her feet and went to go put her heels on. Fitz tried to get up as well, but he was still adjusting to being high. His body felt a lot lighter than before and he didn't feel very in control of all of his limbs. He walked over to the door and blocked her way out.

'We're not done here, Olivia. You can't just say something like that and then storm out.' he put his hand on the handle so that she couldn't even touch it.

'What else is there to say?' she hissed lowly.

'You're trying to run away from whatever this is.' he said, gesturing between the two of them.

Olivia crossed her arms against her chest. 'I guess you know about that pretty well.'

'I deserved that.' he nodded. 'But, I'm here now. We're both here now and we have the chance to make this right. Don't just dismiss us!'

'This is all moving too fast!' she yelled back, rubbing her temples. 'You can't just do this! You can't just come back and say all of the right things and expect everything to be okay!'

Fitz was about to say something else, but then decided against it. Olivia was right. Him saying things wasn't going to get them anywhere tonight. He was going to have to show her exactly what he was feeling to get it through to her. He let go of the door and took a step forward, invading her personal space.

Olivia moved to make a step backwards but Fitz grabbed her by her arms and pulled her body to his. Before she knew it, his lips had crashed down onto hers in a searing kiss. He didn't start of with gentle pecks, but his lips were everything she had ever fantasized they would be. He exuded wanton passion as he devoured her like a starving man. Her hands immediately moved to his face and she pulled him down closer to her, her tongue slipping through his labials as she tasted him.

He pulled away and grunted lowly. 'I'm not letting you get away from me again.'

'Okay.' she agreed without argument, nodding her head and pulling him back to her once more.

Fitz's hands traveled downward until until they reached her petite waist. He pushed the sides of his jacket out of the way so that the palms of his hands rubbed against the sequins on her dress. Olivia's body pressed further into his as she rose to stand on the tips of her toes and rested her weight against his chest so that she could stay upright. She moaned against his mouth as his sneaky fingers made their way down to her bum and squeezed her soft flesh.

Olivia could feel Fitz's cock twitch against her stomach and she knew that they needed to slow down, but she didn't know how to stop. As soon as she thought about pulling away, Fitz started kissing her neck and she knew she was a goner. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she let out a sigh that she hadn't even realized she was holding in. It felt like forever since anybody had actually touched her and wanted to make her feel good, and Fitz was doing all of the right things.

She moved her hand in between their bodies and felt around the front of her pants until she ran across his now semi erect penis. Olivia always assumed that he had an average sized penis, but her jaw dropped when she felt how thick it was. She massaged him through the fabric and Fitz's hips involuntarily thrusted forward in search of some relief.

He slowly began to pull the fabric of her dress up so that it would bunch up at her waist. The dress was pretty right and she had to help him a little by shimmying her hips, but he was able to push it up far enough so that it would be out of the way. Fitz turned them around so that he'd be facing one of the walls with mirrors on it and he took his attention off of her neck so that he could look at their reflection. The mirror gave him the perfect view of her ass and the almost nonexistent thong she was wearing tonight.

'You are so fucking sexy.' he hissed lowly as he continued to massage her plump bottom.

Olivia used both of her hands to work on the buckle on his belt and the zipper on his pants. It didn't take her long to get him completely open and exposed and she reached in the waistband on his boxers to feel his manhood. Fitz pressed his body further into hers as he continued to play with the tiny piece of fabric that she dared to call panties. His fingers slyly moved to the juncture in between her legs and he smiled deviously when they became moist.

Fitz gently pushed her as he walked them back towards the wall. He didn't stop until Olivia's back had pressed against the mirror and her feet were planted on the floor. She tried to push his pants and boxers down, but he took hold of her wrists and halted her plans. Instead, he slowly kneeled in front of her until he was down on both knees.

He kissed both of her thighs repeatedly, worshipping her body as no man ever had before. Olivia knew exactly what Fitz was about to do, and that thought alone made her cry out with anticipation. He pushed his hands in between her thighs and she voluntarily parted them for him.

His mouth traveled directly to her core and he placed one long lick up her covered slit. Olivia hissed and grabbed hold of his shoulders so that she could hold her balance as her legs began to slightly tremble. She was nearly dripping wet and he growled lowly as he was finally able to taste her. He knew then that he'd probably never get enough.

'Please.' she voice cracking as she whimpered for him.

'Mmmm.' he hummed lowly. 'I like that. Please what?'

'Please, please.' Olivia begged as she tried to get a coherent word out. 'Take them off.'

Without hesitation, Fitz's fingers dipped into the waistband of the panties as he began to slow push them down her hips. Olivia stepped out of them once they reached her ankles and he immediately put them in his pants pocket. He picked up her left ankle and lifted it until it sat on top of his shoulder.

Fitz licked his lips as her pussy came on full display right before his greedy eyes. Just as he imagined before, she was perfect in absolutely every way. At least to him she was. He ran his pointer finger up and down her wet slit, and teasingly circled her entrance in a way that made her body shiver.

He flattened out his tongue and placed it over her swollen clit and her whimpers became louder. Fitz sucked the nub into his mouth and his nose pressed firmly into her mound. Olivia cried out in ecstasy and he took his time pleasing her. One of his thick digits entered into her slick portal and her inner walls clenched down on it like a vice.

Her right foot was still planted on the ground, but she rose to the tips of her toes. The building pressure was becoming too much for her to handle and Fitz's tongue and finger were driving her insane. She wasn't able to move far, though, because he pulled her right back down. He had waited this long to have her, so he planned on getting his fill.

A few moments later, Olivia cried out loudly as her orgasm raked through her body. Fitz continued to lick her, despite the fact that her thighs were trembling her chest was heaving. She braced her hands against his head, her fingers curling into the hair on his head.

Once she had finally settled, Fitz rose to his feet. She immediately attacked him with a kiss, leaning all of her body weight against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her body and held her closely to him, grinding his firm erection on her stomach. Olivia could taste herself all over his mouth and lips, the thought of him pleasing her was turning her on even more than before. It was never something Edison even attempted to do, so the fact that Fitz was eager to made her stomach flutter.

She squeaked as he picked her up into his arms and carried her over by one of the sinks. Fitz stood in between her parted legs, spreading her knees out even wider so that they would hug his hips. He pushed his pants down past his ass while she adjusted the bottom of her dress a bit.

Before they could continue, they both caught each other's eyes. Neither of them knew what to say, or if anything should be said at all at this point. It seemed almost surreal that this was finally happened. The universe had finally aligned themselves so perfectly, that they finally had the chance to be together.

Olivia wrapped her arms around his shoulders, smiling lightly and prompting him to continue. The lip of the sink was a bit small so it wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on, but that was the last thing on her mind. Fitz might not have been around in the past few years, but he was still her first love. Other than her father, she had been the only man she had ever admired. Her breath hitched a bit in anticipation for the moment that they finally connected.

Fitz kept his arms at her midsection so that he could hold her up. He didn't want her falling into the sink or anything like that, so he kept his grip tight. His cock continued to twitch and he chastised himself for being so excited. Olivia was already practically dripping down her thighs, so the thought of that being squeezed around him was enough to make him bite his lip.

Their eyes stayed connected as Fitz gently pushed his hips forward. He used one of his hands to grip the base of his cock and guide himself into her heat. He watched how her face contorted, her jaw dropping and her eyebrows furrowing. She felt extremely tight, so he moved slowly as she nearly sucked in his entire shaft.

Once he was about halfway in, her body winced. He pulled back out until only his tip was inside her. She whined and held him closer to her body, her pussy already missing being filled by him. Fitz pressed his cock back inside of her, this time going in all the way in until his cock disappeared.

Olivia thought that he was going to go fast and just be done with her, but Fitz obviously had other plans. He took his time making love to her, kissing on her neck and allowing his hands to roam across her body. She moaned loudly and had to fight back a few tears. He was so tender and light with her, it was almost too much.

Fitz reached in between her legs and began to tenderly rub her clit. Her body jerked, but he kept her close to him. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear as he fucked her and listened to all the sounds she was making.

When her orgasm hit her, it seemed like all of the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. Her walls tightened around his dick, squeezing him tightly as her essence freely flowed down his balls. Olivia knew how loud she could be when she came, so she sank her teeth directly into his shoulder.

Fitz continued to move in and out of her as her body grew limp in his arms. He kissed up and down the side of her face as his balls began to tighten. He knew that they hadn't talked about any protection or birth control, so he pulled out before he could cum. There was a box of tissues right behind her so he grabbed a few of those. Olivia reached down in between them and took hold of his cock, stroking him firmly as his orgasm built.

He groaned loudly when he finally shot his load into the tissue. She continued to stroke him until he completely soft in her hands. Fitz was struggling to catch his breath as he held onto the sink, his forehead resting on her shoulder.

Olivia reached up and stroked his hair, running her fingers through it. ' _Wow_.' she murmured.

Fitz pulled away so that he could look her in the eyes. 'I can't believe we just did that.'

'Do you regret it?' she asked softly, although she was really hoping he didnt.

'Hell no.' he shook his head and she giggled a little at his answer. 'I want you to know, though, I don't think I'll be able to give you up again.' he said seriously.

She bit down on her bottom lip, her nerves lighting up. 'I don't think you should.'

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. After a few more minutes, they decided to get cleaned up and leave the party. They could still hear the music and people laughing so they knew it was in full swing. They had both left their coats with the bartender, though, so they'd have to go and get them.

They had both tried to tidy their appearance up a bit, but had failed miserably. Olivia's hair was all over her head, and anybody with eyes could tell that she was walking a little funny. Fitz's clothes looked disheveled and he hadn't even bothered redoing his belt. Not only that, he was wearing a huge, shit-eating grin on his face.

Once they opened the doors to the gym, all eyes were on them. Hollis and Andrew had spread the word around that they had caught them leaving a bit early, so they all knew what was happening. As soon as they took a step in, the entire room began to cheer loudly. It seemed like they were the only two idiots on the planet who didn't know that they were in love with each other.

Olivia hid her hand in her face, a bit embarrassed by all the attention that they were suddenly getting. Fitz, on the other hand, felt like he had just won the biggest prize that the county fair had to offer. He took hold of her hand and held it up in the air to show everybody in the gym.

Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

A/N: Just another late little Christmas gift. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm putting a trigger warning here. There's nothing graphic in this chapter, but there will be some talk about self harm.**

* * *

 **One Year Later**

Fitz's entire face scrunched up as he sat in his bed and watched the news. The meteorologist was going on and on about how they'd be receiving a few feet of snow in the next few days, and he didn't like the sound of that. He had some very special things planned, and he didn't want anything ruining that.

It had been a year since he and Olivia had met back up, and they were approaching their first year anniversary. They never had an official discussion about dating after the reunion, but nothing had to be said out loud. It was understood. They were together now, and that was all that mattered.

This had been the best year of his life. He'd never admit that out loud because he knew, as a father, he was supposed to probably pick the years his kids were born. But, Olivia had been the greatest thing to ever happen to him. She always was his something special, but now he had her back. Nobody understood him better than Olivia did.

It was Friday afternoon, which meant that it was time for his weekly FaceTime call with his kids. He missed them dearly, although they seemed to be having the time of their lives with Mellie and her new husband. They were always off on some new adventure, and Fitz had to try his best not to be jealous.

After that was finished, he was supposed to go straight to Olivia's house to spend time with her and her daughters. They'd usually watch a movie and eat snacks, but they had actual plans this evening, and he was excited about that.

After a few more minutes of waiting, his iPad finally rang. He had it sitting on top of his comforter, waiting on them to finally call. He held it in his hands, resting it on the tops of his knees, and slid the bar so that he could answer it. Fitz was greeted by Karen, Gerry, and Teddy with their faces all smushed in tightly together. He grinned widely as they tried to push each other out of the way, and debated on who got a chance to say 'hello' first.

Karen finally snatched her phone away from the boys and smiled brightly. 'Hi, daddy!'

'Hi, Kare!' he responded, matching her extremely cheery tone. She had always been a daddy's girl.

'What are you doing?' she asked curiously. 'Did you get the boxes we sent you? They have your presents in them.'

His smiled faltered a bit, but he tried not to let her see that. For the second year in a row, the kids had asked to go with Mellie on a Christmas holiday. He hated how eager they all seemed to just get away from him, but he'd suck it up for now.

'Daddy!' Teddy whined from outside the camera. 'Daddy, can you get me my own iPad? Karen doesn't like to share!' he huffed.

Fitz chuckled. He and Mellie had already discussed the matter and had decided that Teddy was way too young for an iPad, but that didn't mean that he'd stop begging. 'You're too young for an iPad right now, Teddy. When you prove yourself to be responsible, then I will gladly send you one.'

'And besides,' Karen said, keeping the camera on her smug face. 'If daddy gets you and iPad, then he has to get me a car.'

His eyes rolled. As much as he loved Karen, and he really did, she was nowhere near ready for a car. She had earned her license and taken all the necessary driver's courses, but she was still very immature. Since he and Mellie had broken up, she had been getting into trouble at school and at home. She was a good kid, but the divorce definitely affected her the most.

Mellie's main concern was that if she got a car then she'd either try to run away, skip school, or just sneak out of the house. It was all things that she had already attempted, so neither of them felt like she deserved it yet.

'Anything you want to ask for, Gerry?' Fitz asked, wanting to get this part of the conversation over with. He had something much bigger to tell them.

'No, dad.' he shook his head. 'I'm the good kid. I get everything I want.'

Fitz nearly snorted, but he wouldn't respond. 'Can the three of you please come to the camera? I have something very important to say.'

Karen made room for her younger brothers. Gerry sat beside her on her bed, while Teddy sat in her lap. He'd be way too big to do that soon, but she didn't mind it for now. She rested her chin on the top of his head, and held the phone out so that they could all see.

'Is there something wrong?' Karen asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

'No.' he shook his head. 'Nothing is wrong. I just—'

'Oh my gosh.' Gerry muttered. 'Dad, are you sick? Do you have cancer?' he had been watching way too many medical dramas with his mother.

'What?' his eyebrows raised. 'No! Where are you getting this from? Why would you think that?'

'Daddy, you're sick?' Teddy asked, his face visibly turning paler.

Fitz sighed at his kid's dramatics, but he knew he couldn't scold them about it. Mellie behaved the exact same way, so they really got it honest. 'Guys, stop. I'm not sick!' he scolded.

'Then, why do you need to talk to us?' Gerry asked, his mind racing through all the possibilities.

'Just say it, dad!' Karen groaned. 'You're scaring us!'

'I would definitely say it if you all would let me get a word out of my mouth.' he touched his hand to his forehead as he tried to redirect the conversation. 'Do you remember when I told you that I had been dating again?'

'You broke up with her?' Karen asked, her face slightly lighting up.

'No.' Fitz shook his head and cut his eyes at her.

The kids had never gotten a chance to meet Olivia. They hadn't really been on many of their holiday visits in the past year, so they just hadn't had the time. Fitz didn't understand why the possibility of them breaking up would make Karen so giddy, though.

'Quite the opposite, really.' he said, deciding to ignore Karen's comment. 'I think that I'm going to ask her to marry me.'

The three of them went quiet for a few moments, all visibly stunned by what he said. Gerry was the first to speak. 'What do you mean by you think you may ask her?'

Fitz chuckled a bit nervously this time. 'You're right, Gerry. I know for a fact that I'm going to ask her. I want her to be my wife, and I want you kids to come and meet her after you get back from vacation with your mother. She told me that you all are scheduled to return on the 30th, which means you have another week and a half before you need to be in school.'

'Is she pretty?' Teddy asked, smiling a bit. 'Does she like the PJ Masks?' he referred to his favorite cartoon show.

'She's very pretty.' Fitz mused before pretending to think for a few moments. 'I don't know if she's watched PJ Mask, but I'm sure she'd love it. You can tell her all about it once you get here.'

Gerry grinned lightly. 'Go, dad!'

'Thank you, son.' he snorted then turned his attention to Karen, who had a deep frown on her face. 'Karen, you haven't said anything.'

'I don't like her.' she said quietly as she shook her head.

'Excuse me?' his eyebrows raised. 'Sweetie, you don't even know her. You haven't even given her a chance.'

'She's trying to take you away from us.' Karen had to keep herself from tearing up a bit, because she almost felt like breaking down.

'No, she's not.' he shook his head. 'She wants to meet all of you, actually. She's very nice, and sweet, and caring, and I plan on spending the rest of my life with her. This is something that you're going to have to deal with, Karen.' Fitz said sternly.

Teddy obviously wasn't completely understanding the seriousness to their conversation, because he still had a huge grin on his face. 'Daddy, what was her name again? Was it Lillia?'

Fitz smiled at him and shook his head. 'No, Teddy. Her name is Olivia. Olivia Pope.'

'See, dad.' Karen said pointedly. 'We don't even know her name. How could you marry somebody who your kids don't even know?'

He sighed. 'The reason you don't know her is because you all keep asking to go with your mother during every holiday. If you guys would come and visit, you would have had plenty of time to meet her.'

Gerry looked down into his lap, immediately feeling a bit guilty. 'Sorry about that, dad.'

'It's okay.' his shoulders shrugged. 'I miss you guys, but I also want you to be happy. If vacationing with your mother will make you happy, then it's fine with me. But, you can't just forget about me, either.'

Karen looked between her brothers. 'Tell daddy goodbye. I need to talk to him alone.'

'Awww, Karen.' Teddy huffed and crossed his arms. 'I don't want to tell dad goodbye.'

'I'll call you tomorrow, Ted.' Fitz resolved. He wanted to figure out exactly what Karen's problem was.

He sighed. 'Okay. Night, daddy.' Teddy murmured before sliding off of Karen's lap. 'I love you!'

Once the boys had left and it was just them in the room, Karen took a deep breath. She hadn't had a problem with Mellie remarrying, but she didn't like to think of her father with another woman. A part of her knew that things could never be the same once he was finally married again. She didn't like it at all.

'What is your problem, Karen?' his eyebrows raised. 'I thought you'd be happy for me.'

'Well, I'm not.' she said boldly. 'Why do you want to get married again, anyway? Aren't we enough for you?'

'You kids are more than enough for me.' he answered in a soft tone. 'But, I love Olivia. I need her, too. I—'

'Where did you even meet her?' she interrupted. 'You guys have only been dating for a year! You don't know anything about her!'

'I've known Olivia for a very long time.' he said, staying calm. 'I fell in love with her during high school, but things just didn't work out for us at the time. We have only been dating for a year, but I've known her for much longer.'

Her eyebrows slumped forward. 'So why would you even marry mom if you were in love with her?'

'That's a complicated one, Karen.' he honestly responded. Fitz really wasn't ready to admit to Karen that the only reason he married Mellie is because she was pregnant. 'But, none of that matters now. I had a beautiful relationship with your mother, but its time that we all moved on. You were so excited when she married Peter, all I'm asking is for the same respect you gave her.'

Karen eyed him for a few moments, and it was only then that Fitz saw the tear drop from one of her eyes. He really couldn't understand why she was so upset. Before he could ask, she shook her head. 'No. I'm not giving it to you. I don't want you to marry her. Don't marry her.'

'Karen, please talk to me about this.' he sighed. 'You're not giving me any reasons.'

'I don't want to discuss it anymore. If you loved me, then you wouldn't do it.' she gave her statement and then hung up in Fitz's face.

Fitz groaned and dropped his iPad then rubbed his temples. There was no way in the world he wasn't going to marry Olivia. They had already wasted so much time, he kind of wished that he could push the wedding up faster. Karen would have to get over herself. He had been focusing on everyone else's happiness for far too long. It was his turn now.

* * *

30 Missed Calls: Edison Davis

 **Where are you?** Edison

 **Pick up the phone!** Edison

 **Why aren't you answering my calls?** Edison

Olivia rubbed her temples as she looked over her phone and saw all the times her ex-husband had tried to contact her. He was usually never this pushy about anything, so she had to assume that this was some type of emergency. She retreated to the bathroom so that she could pee and call him back.

Much to her dismay, he answered on the first ring. 'Hello?'

'Why are you calling my phone like you're some type of maniac?' she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

'Because I'm trying to contact my wife, and she's not taking my phone calls.' he said pointedly. 'Where have you been?'

Olivia groaned. 'Please don't start this. We're not married anymore. You have no reason to call me unless it's about the girls, so please tell me what you want.'

'I want you to come home with the girls for Christmas.' Edison simply stated.

She sucked her teeth after taking a sharp breath. 'Goodbye, Edison.'

'Wait, Olivia!' he yelled before she could hang up the phone. 'I want us to work on our family. You've been away way too long. I let you have your space and I gave you your time, now this game is over. It's time to come back to Nebraska.'

'I'm not coming back there.' she hissed lowly, in fear that somebody else in the house would hear her. 'You're insane if you would even think that I'm coming back to that house.'

'Iris told me that you've been seeing somebody else.' he said softly, sounding more defeated than aggressive. 'I don't like this, Liv. I don't like it at all.'

Olivia rolled her eyes, but now she at least understood why he all of a sudden was so desperate to contact her. Edison was fine when she left him a couple of years ago, but now he was suddenly jealous by the thought of her dating. They hadn't had a real conversation in years. He just had the mentality that if he couldn't have her, then nobody else could.

'Were you thinking about any of this when Ivy caught you in the backseat with your assistant? Or did that slip your mind?' she bit back.

'Stop bringing that up!' his teeth gritted. 'That happened years ago, and I've already apologized about it! I don't like the fact that you're bringing some strange man around my daughters! I don't know anything about him!'

She scoffed. Fitz had been more of a father to them in the past year than Edison had, but she wouldn't bring that up. It wasn't that Edison didn't try, but he was always busy with work or whatever else he had going on. His relationship with the girls had been very strained after the girls found out that he had been having an affair, so they tried to avoid him when possible.

'If you want to know more about him, then you could simply ask.' she said, trying to keep her voice calm. 'But, what you won't do is call me and accuse me of bringing somebody around my children who I didn't believe was up to par. He's a great man, and he loves the girls. He would never do anything to hurt them.'

'And how am I supposed to know that?' his eyebrows raised. 'I don't even know his name!'

'Because he's none of your business!' she cut her eyes. 'This isn't about Fitz, though. This is about your little fucked up fantasy of us getting back together and pretending everything is okay. It's not going to happen.'

'This isn't a fantasy, Liv.' he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'This could all be real. You just have to give me a chance to make things better. You won't even do that!'

'I've moved on!' she said with finality. 'You should, too!'

'Wait a minute. Did you just say Fitz? Fitz as in Fitzgerald Grant?' his eyebrows raised. 'The guy from our high school class? Liv, you can't be serious!'

Edison always knew that Fitz and Olivia loved each other, but he didn't think it'd turn into anything serious. Fitz was always way too afraid to ask her out, and she was way too stubborn to make the first move. After years of waiting on the sidelines, he made a move on Liv during their senior year of school and the rest was history.

Her breath hitched, not wanting to address the last part of his statement. 'Don't call me again unless it's something to do with the girls. Goodbye.' she hung the phone up.

Olivia sighed and put her face in her hands. This wasn't the first time Edison had tried to reconcile their marriage, although she had no interest in trying. She knew that Fitz would hate the thought of him even bringing the idea up, so she had been trying her best to hide it from him. It was one of the main reasons she rushed to the bathroom to take the phone call.

The other reason was that she really had to pee. It seemed like her bladder had shrunk in size in the past couple of months, and she had to blame it on the fact that was getting older. It seemed like every half hour she was rushing to go and pee, and the girls had been making fun of her the entire time.

'Mama, we need to go now!' Ivy yelled through the door, knocking on it loudly.

Olivia groaned and rubbed the palm of her hands down her cheeks. Even after 16 years, she still couldn't get any peace and quiet while she was in the bathroom. 'For Christ's sake, Ivy! I'm trying to pee! We can go in a minute!'

'A minute is already up, mom!' Iris huffed. They had both heard Olivia go in the bathroom, and they knew she had had plenty of time to finish by now. She pushed past her sister and opened the bathroom door herself. 'What are you doing in here, anyway? Let's go!'

She groaned even louder this time, certainly regretting not locking the door before going in. 'Get out! Get out! Get out!'

'Girls!' Fitz said loud enough to get their attention. He walked into the master bedroom to see what was going on after hearing all the yelling. 'Leave your mother be. We can leave in a minute.'

Olivia had given him a key to her place a few months ago, and he had used it to get in. The first thing he heard was her yelling, so he came right up the stairs.

The girls huffed but nodded their heads. Iris exited the bathroom, but didn't even move to close the door behind her. Olivia tried to reach forward and grab it, but she was too far since her butt was still planted on the toilet seat. 'Iris!' she scolded.

Fitz quickly ushered the girls out of the room, but simply took their spot in front of Olivia. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. 'But, seriously though, Liv, what's taking so long?'

'Geez, I just came in here to pee!' she shut her legs tightly as if she was hiding something away from him that he wasn't already well acquainted with. 'It's very hard to do when I have constant visitors! How am I supposed to concentrate?'

His lips turned up into a coy smile and he had to suppress the chuckle threatening to bubble up. 'You have to concentrate when you pee, baby? You're getting old.'

'No!' she quickly corrected, now highly embarrassed. Olivia grabbed the roll of toilet tissue and quickly threw it at his head. 'Fitz, get out! I'll be done in a minute!'

He laughed loudly before finally leaving the bathroom, this time shutting the door behind him. The girls were standing in the hallway trying their absolute best to patient, but he could tell that they were losing their minds.

The holidays were finally here again, and the plan was to celebrate before the girls left. Even though they didn't want to, Ivy and Iris always spent their Christmas with their father in Nebraska. Fitz and Olivia wanted to do something special with them this year, though, since this was their first official holiday together. They had already had their dinner, and now Fitz would be taking them all to pick out a Christmas tree. It was the girls first time ever doing anything like this, so they had been on edge for days.

Iris and Ivy were Olivia's identical twin daughters. They were both 16, only a little younger than his daughter Karen, but they were very mature for their age. It had taken a little while for them to warm up to Fitz, but they had gotten fairly close in the past year. Much like their mother, they had a passion for over the top dramatics and flair. They were into anything fashion, makeup, or beauty related, which he understood none of. Their dream was to become models and walk down the runway, and they had even had a few, small gigs.

Despite being identical in appearance, they were almost polar opposites when it came to personality. Ivy was usually quiet and reserved, but it seemed like Iris couldn't control her mouth to save her life. She was a good kid, but her smart comments got her into way more trouble than necessary. Fitz found it pretty hard to tell them apart at first, but after spending a year with them, it had gotten easier.

Plus, he had a little cheat sheet stored away in his head. Not only was Iris' voice just a tad higher than her sister's, she had a small birthmark on the side of her neck that was very similar to the one Olivia had. Ivy, on the other hand, had beauty mark right above her top lip, and preferred to wear darker, warmer colors. He prided himself on only getting them mixed up once every couple of weeks or so.

Olivia came out a few moments later, glaring at all of them. 'Can I not get 5 minutes of peace?'

'No.' Iris shook her head then grabbed her mother's hand. 'Let's go now!'

'You started all this disfunction in my home.' Olivia shot Fitz a pointed look.

'I'll make it up to you. I promise.' he smiled and followed behind them.

Fitz was supposed to have his kids in town for Christmas, but things hadn't exactly worked out as planned. For the second year in a row, Mellie had invited them to go out of the country with her and her new husband. Initially he wanted to be a hard ass and insist that they come regardless, but he also didn't want them to resent him. He relented once again and waived his visitation time so that they could go on vacation. This time, though, they'd be visiting him before they had to go back to school.

Usually he would take his own kids to pick out a tree, but when he found out that Iris and Ivy had never been he knew that'd be the perfect activity for all of them. He thought he'd have to try and convince them, but the girls were over the moon about the idea. Edison was never really interested in this type of stuff, but

They were going to take Olivia's car down to the local tree farm to pick up the one of the girls choosing. Iris and Ivy had already raided all through the attic to bring out the perfect ornaments and lights, and Olivia had even made them all some hot chocolate for their adventure. It was snowing pretty heavily outside, so they were all dressed warm in coats and boots.

Fitz took out the time to open all of their doors, but he did Olivia's last. He always made sure that she was buckled in and gave her a kiss before shutting her door. It seemed a bit over the top, but he also wanted to show the girls how any man should treat them when they started dating. After shutting Olivia's door, he rounded the car to his side and got in.

'I think we should get a 10 foot tree.' Ivy said as they started their way towards the farm.

Olivia raised her eyebrows and looked back at her. 'How would we decorate the top of it?'

'With a ladder, mom.' Iris said as if the answer was so obvious.

Fitz knew he'd probably be in trouble later, but he decided to go with it. 'I think a 10 foot tree sounds great.'

'Yes!' the girls both grinned and gave each other a high five.

Olivia crossed her arms and looked at him as if he was crazy. Fitz looked at her and smiled widely, but he'd deal with his consequences later. It was the girls first time ever doing anything like this, so the sky was the limit for him. He reached out and grabbed her hand then gently kissed her fingers.

Her eyes rolled as she snatched her hand back. Olivia felt her phone buzzing in her back pocket and she knew who it was, but she ignored it. Instead, she turned the music on the radio up a bit more to drown out the noise.

Once they made it to the farm, the girls rushed out of the backseat before Fitz could even get out. He chuckled but let them go on as he helped Olivia step down out of the car. He wrapped his arm around her body as they walked through the crowds to try and keep up with Iris and Ivy. They had split off into different directions as they tried to scope out what they liked the best.

'I hope you have a ladder handy, since you agreed to get this big tree.' she said pointedly.

'I do.' he nodded his head proudly before leaning in to kiss her forehead. 'I promise I'll take care of everything and make this worth your while.' Fitz said suggestively.

Her eyebrows raised. 'Oh, really? And how do you plan on doing that?'

'Well, I was thinking I'd start off with my head in between your thighs, then turn you over on your stomach so that I can—'

'Fitz!' she nearly blushed as she smacked his chest. 'We are in public. There are families here with children.'

He chuckled. 'Well, you asked. You knew it was going to be something inappropriate.'

'Everything you say is inappropriate.' she murmured.

'Have you seen you lately?' his eyebrows raised. 'I'm dating the love of my life and she's fucking gorgeous. I can't help the thoughts that go through my mind.'

Olivia's lips curled up into a bashful smile. It seemed like he always just knew the right things to say. She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips, giggling softly as she tasted the hot chocolate still on his tongue.

Before things could go any further, Iris came up behind them and broke them apart. She knew that if they left them alone too long then they'd find some little space to make out in, and she was right. Her nose crinkled. 'Guys, we're in public!' she scolded.

Fitz laughed and shook his head. 'Have you girls picked out a tree?'

'Kind of.' she shrugged. 'Mama, can we get 3 trees?'

Olivia's jaw dropped. '3 trees? For what? Why?'

'Well, we figured we could put one in the living room, one in the kitchen area, and one in the den.' Iris explained.

'No. Absolutely not.' she shook her head.

Iris groaned and turned to Fitz for support, but he simply raised his arms in surrender. 'It's whatever your mother says.'

'You girls can pick out one tree, and you can decorate the rest of the house if you want to.' Olivia compromised. 'But, you're not bringing all those trees in my house.'

She sighed but nodded her head before calling out. 'It didn't work, Ivy. They said no.'

'Aw, man.' Ivy huffed from behind one of the trees they had picked out.

After almost 30 minutes of the girls looking in between the same three trees, they had finally decided on one. They had done everything except for take the bristles off and taste them, so Fitz prayed that they were satisfied with their final decision. They all went to the front to pay for the tree, and one of the men working at the farm loaded it on the back of his truck. They were going to deliver it and set it up in Olivia's living room since it was almost impossible to do it with one person.

As they walked back to the car, there was a young woman taking photos of families as they exited the fair. She had a small backdrop set up with different props and costume pieces that they could wear during the photo. She smiled and waved them down before they could get too far.

Olivia was going to pass right by her, but Ivy and Iris grabbed her by the arms and dragged her along. Fitz simply chuckled and followed behind them with his hands in his pockets. He stood beside the photographer as he watched them dig through the chest for reindeer antlers and scarves.

Once they were all set up, they tried to find the right position to pose in. Iris eyebrows furrowed as she realized that they were obviously missing somebody. 'Fitz, what are you doing?'

The photographer glanced over at him as they all awaited his answer. He immediately became a bit flustered, but he smiled lightly. 'I was just giving you girls time to pose with your mom.'

'Nonsense! Get in there, daddy!' the woman urged, clearly unaware of the situation at hand.

None of them chose to correct her, but they all watched to see what Fitz's next move would be. He silently glanced over at Olivia as he looked for approval. He was really close to the girls, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries, either. Her lips curled up slightly when she nodded her head.

His entire face lit up as he went to join them. The girls went straight back to the costume chest to pick out the perfect piece for him. They decided on a light up nose and a huge green and red tie with a snowman on it. Olivia was going to try and get in the picture beside him, but the girls took over those spots as they clung to his arms. She rolled her eyes at them, but she didn't comment. She was glad that they had found a positive father figure in Fitz, and she wouldn't do anything to devalue their relationship.

Before she could find another spot, Fitz grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. She squealed lightly as their bodies crashed together and he spun her around so that her back would be against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body tightly and held her there as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

'Great!' the photographer said in glee. 'Everyone say "Merry Christmas"!'

'Merry Christmas!' they all said in unison with huge smiles on their faces.

By the time they made it back to Olivia's house, the delivery men were already there and waiting at the door. Olivia used her key to let them in, while Ivy and Iris told them where to put it. Fitz helped to move some of the furniture out of the way so that they wouldn't knock anything over, although that was nearly impossible. The tree was 10 feet tall, and bound to shake some things around.

It was only Olivia and her girls who lived in the house, so it just screamed soft and feminine to Fitz. In the living room there was a large television that usually stayed tuned into reality television, the couches were white and had a bunch of throw pillows on top, and the rug underneath was furry and white. There were constantly candles burning, so the whole place smelled like a fruity garden. It was much different from his bachelor pad.

Olivia walked the men towards the door and began to dig through her purse so that she could give them a little holiday bonus. 'Thank you guys so much for this. We really appreciate it.'

'No problem.' one of the men tipped his hat to her. 'And, you have a very beautiful family here ma'am. We were happy to help.'

She finally smiled at them before glancing over her shoulder at Fitz and the girls. 'Thank you so much.'

The other man chuckled a bit. 'But, if you ever need something more then I'm here for you.' he teased lightly.

Fitz hadn't really been listening to the conversation, he was too busy moving boxed around for the girls, but he caught that part. 'Thanks again guys! Have a good night!' he called out dismissively.

Olivia smirked and shook her head before shutting the door behind the men. She went to go and join them on the carpet as they prepared the boxes of ornaments and lights. The girls had already prepared the perfect Christmas playlist and they had it going on the surround sound system.

Once the tree was finished and they had decorated the living room with garland, tinsel, and whatever else the girls had in the boxes, there was only one thing left to do. Olivia fished through the last of the containers until she found the angel to go on top of the tree. Fitz had gotten a chair out of the kitchen so that one of them could stand up and place it properly.

'Whose turn is it to put the angel on the tree?' Olivia asked, holding the small figurine close to her body. It had been passed down in her family through generations, and it was very special to her. Fitz actually recognized it from years ago from when her parent's house.

'It's my turn.' Iris said proudly.

Ivy rolled her eyes. 'Mommy, it's my turn. Iris did it last year.'

Fitz could see that an argument was about to break out between them, so he decided to intervene. 'Livvie, why don't you put the angel up this year? I'm sure you haven't done it in a while.'

Olivia immediately smiled at the thought. She hadn't done it since the girls were born, so it had been at least 16 years. The girls didn't seemed to mind the compromise, so she nodded her head. Fitz helped her step on top of the chair, and he held on tightly to her legs as she stood on the tips of her toes so that she could reach.

Before long, their Christmas decorations were complete. The girls ran to turn all the lights off and plug everything in so that they could enjoy their masterpiece. Fitz helped Olivia down off the chair and held on tightly to her waist. Instead of putting her down on the floor, he held her in his arms for a few moments.

Olivia chuckled and patted his arms. 'Put me down.'

Fitz smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. It wasn't something that they usually did in front of the girls, but he just felt that it was right in the moment. He bit down on her lip as he pulled away. 'I love you, Olivia Pope.'

'I love you, too.' she responded before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Iris groaned as she flopped herself back down on the couch. 'Stop! Just stop!'

Olivia snorted before leaning in to kiss him once more. She allowed her lips to linger there for a moment then Fitz set her down on her feet. Before Ivy could turn on the lights, Fitz's phone rang in his back pocket. He pulled it out, his eyebrows immediately raising when he saw Mellie's name plastered across the front. Olivia's face immediately scrunched up in disgust, but she kept her mouth shut.

'Hold on one second, guys.' he said before stepping out of the room and heading into the kitchen so that he could talk.

'Can we watch a movie when Fitz gets done, mom?' Ivy batted her eyelashes at her.

'I don't know if he's staying the night and it's getting a little late. He may have to get home.' Olivia said sympathetically before checking her watch. 'But, you can ask him. I'm sure he won't mind.'

'He can also make us some snacks.' Iris suggested before flopping down on the couch. 'He can make that popcorn stuff that we like. I don't know what he calls it.'

Olivia's eyes rolled but she chuckled. This was the type of relationship she always wished that the girls had had with their father. Edison just was never really fond of parenting or all that it entailed. To his credit, though, he always tried his best. Fitz was just a bit more loving and compassionate.

'If you ask him then you need to say please.' Olivia instructed. 'He's not a snack slave.'

Ivy sat down beside her sister and put her legs in Iris' lap. 'He's not, but he does make the best snacks.'

'Way better than yours, mom.' Iris bit playfully.

'Oh really?' her eyebrows raised and she crossed her arms. 'Fitz doesn't live here. You're going to be here with me, even after he leaves.'

Ivy chuckled. 'Mama just because you're threatening us doesn't mean that you make good snacks. You're just in denial.'

Olivia playfully growled before running in their direction. She hopped on top of them, managing to use both of her hands to tickle their sides. The girls burst into laughter as they tried to get away, but she was a bit stronger than she looked.

Fitz came out of the kitchen a few moments later and smiled at them, although it didn't really seem genuine. He stood in the doorway and watched them before Olivia finally noticed that he was done on the phone. She hopped off of the girls while they struggled to catch their breath.

'Everything okay?' Olivia asked, straightening out her shirt.

'Yep.' he nodded slightly.

Olivia's eyebrows raised. He looked a bit pale, and he definitely didn't seem too happy. She turned to the girls, who were still laughing. 'Go upstairs, guys. I need to talk to Fitz.'

'Aw, mom.' Iris groaned, not even noticing that Fitz seemed to be in distress. 'We want to hear, too.'

'Now, Iris.' Olivia scolded lightly.

Before any further arguments could ensue, Ivy stood up and took her sister's hand. She dragged her off of the couch and towards the staircase so that they could leave the room. They'd still spy on them from the top of the steps, but Fitz and Olivia wouldn't know that.

Olivia walked over to the couch and patted the spot beside her. 'What's wrong, Fitz? What did Mellie say?'

Fitz sighed and ran his shaky hands through his hair. He took the cushion next to Olivia and swallowed hard before he spoke. 'It's Karen.'

She reached out to take his hand. 'What's wrong with Karen, baby? What happened?'

A tear ran down his cheek and Olivia's eyes widened. She had seen Fitz sad before, but he had never cried in front of her. Whatever was going on must have been serious. She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around him as best she could.

'Tell me what's wrong.' she encouraged. 'We can fix it.'

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle humorlessly. Olivia was always trying to fix things for him, and that was one thing that hadn't changed. She'd fight off men 10 times her size if it meant she'd be protecting him.

'Karen stole Mellie's car and left a note saying that she wanted to kill herself. They can't find her anywhere.' he said as he shook his head.

'Oh no.' Olivia frowned and reached to wipe away his tears. They were coming at a steady pace now, although he wasn't making a sound. 'Are they out looking for her?'

'Mellie and Pete are out now. They left the boys at her parent's house while they search.' he said as he looked down at his still shaky hands.

In all honesty, she didn't know how to comfort Fitz in that moment. If either of the girls even mentioned wanting to harm themselves, she'd be absolutely hysterical. She loved her kids more than anything else in the world, so she didn't want to think about them taking their own lives. She couldn't even imagine what Fitz was going through.

'They're going to find her, Fitz.' she assured. 'She couldn't have gone too far.'

'I have to go to California. I can't just sit here and do nothing.' he abruptly stood up from the couch.

'Okay.' she nodded. 'I can book a flight. We can leave on the next one out.'

'You don't have to come with me, Olivia.' he shook his head, although he really wanted her to. 'I don't want to pull you into all of this.'

'I want to go and support you.' Olivia softly objected, tilting her neck upwards so that she could look at him. She reached out and took his hands in hers, their fingers intertwining. 'I'm not going to let you go alone. Baby, your hands are shaking. You can't drive like this.'

His head immediately hung low. Even if he went to California, there wouldn't be anything he could do. After their conversation earlier, he was sure that he was the last person that Karen wanted to see or hear from. Now he was feeling like the entire situation was his fault. If he had just kept his mouth shut or maybe listened to her a bit more, she wouldn't be out trying to take her own life.

It was only then that his floodgates really opened. What started off as a whimper turned into sobbing. Olivia immediately got up from her seat and stood up on the couch, her feet sinking down into the cushions below her. She grabbed him by his shoulders and gently pulled him towards her until his head was resting on her chest. She held him there and rubbed the back of his neck and head as he cried.

Iris and Ivy had been at the top of the stairs and had heard everything that happened. They wanted to go and say something to Fitz, but they knew that now was the wrong time. Instead, they crossed the hall into their mother's bedroom and went directly to her closet. While Iris pulled out her large suitcase, Ivy started to pull down a few of her clothes to pack up.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Stick with me! No more sad stuff after this! A little angsty, but not sad!_**

 ** _Let me address a few things: Yes, I know I've been gone for a while. I'm back now. And, yes, I will be updating my other main stories very soon. Give me a few days, and I'll start rolling things out. Thank you all for the reminders about my update speed, I have received every single one of them lol. The next chapter is already ready, but it needs to be edited and I want to give you all enough time to red and review this one before I throw something else out. The next chapter will be much happier, and way more Olitz centered._**

 ** _Until next time!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Due to the icy conditions on the runways, the next flight leaving to California wouldn't be taking off until the next day. Olivia had called around to all the surrounding airports to try and find anything, but everyone turned her down. Fitz had even called a friend of his who owned a jet, but his pilot was refusing to come out in the weather.

Instead of dwelling on the situation, Olivia tried her best to just keep Fitz's mind off of their trip, and get him to come to bed. At first he wanted to go back to his house. He was definitely more of an alpha male, and he didn't want anyone to see him crying or upset. Ivy and Iris looked up to him as a father figure, and he didn't want them to think that he was weak or couldn't handle himself.

Olivia wouldn't let him go, though. As soon as he tried to leave, she put her body in between him and the door. His face was red, and his eyes were still a bit swollen and puffy from crying. She knew that Fitz was used to being strong and handling things on his own, but he didn't have to do that anymore. She was here with him now, and she'd be strong enough for the both of them.

She gently took his hands in hers, tilting her neck upwards so that they could see eye to eye. Even when she was in heels she had to look up to him, so he felt more like a giant now that she was barefoot.

'You're not going anywhere tonight, Fitz.' Olivia stated, leaving very little room for argument. 'Let's just go to bed.'

'I _can't_ stay here, Liv.' he shook his head. 'I just really need some air. I just need to breathe.'

'Well, then let's go on a walk.' she concluded. 'I'll go and get my coat, and we'll go around the block a couple times.'

Fitz groaned and ran one his hands down his face. He was starting to feel like a caged animal now that he was locked away in the house. He understood that Olivia was only trying to help him, but he didn't want to be helped.

'I just need to be alone, Olivia. I want some space.' he said, trying to stay as patient as possible.

'I can't give you that.' she shook her head.

'And why not?'

'Because you're scaring me.' Olivia nearly whispered. She had never seen Fitz this upset about anything, and she knew he was in no condition to be driving.

The other problem Olivia had was that she had no idea what he would do once he left. When Fitz was upset, one of his coping methods was to sink himself into a bottle of Scotch. It was a terrible habit that he had picked up from his father, and she didn't want that for him.

Fitz rolled his eyes. 'I'm fine, Olivia. I'll call you when I make it home.' he gently pushed her to the side so that he could get to the door handle.

Olivia sighed but moved out of his way. Instead of saying goodbye, she simply stepped to the side. Fitz thought she would put up more of a fight, but was glad that she gave in. He understood that she just wanted to help, but he could manage himself. He was a grown man and had dealt with being hurt before.

He shivered once the cold air hit his face, but he just held his head down as he headed to his car. When he made it out to his vehicle, he reached inside his coat pocket to pull his key out. His eyebrows raised when he couldn't find them, and he began to check in his pants and shirt pockets. Fitz thought he left them inside the house, but he couldn't remember ever getting them out.

He was about to walk back inside to get them, but stopped in his tracks when he looked towards the door. Standing there, leaning against the frame, was Olivia. She had her arms crossed against her chest, but dangling from her fingers were his car keys. She used the fob to lock his car door, then walked back inside the house. She was sure to leave the door open for him, knowing that he wouldn't stand out in the cold for long.

There was plenty of space at her house. If thats what he needed, then she'd give it to him.

Olivia immediately went up the stairs to check on the girls, but she heard him when he walked inside. He shut the door behind him and took off his coat and shoes before flopping down on the couch. Fitz kept a few extra outfits in her closet, and there were some extra boxers and pajama pants in the drawers, so he had enough to sleep in tonight.

She knocked softly on the girls' door before entering. While they didn't mind barging in on their mother while she was using the restroom or showering, Olivia was trying to lead by example by showing some manners. She twisted the knob and pushed the door open to find them both laying down in their beds.

While the house did have 4 separate rooms, the girls opted to share one. They slept in what was supposed to be Iris' room, and used Ivy's as a creative studio. They played music, practiced their photography, and even worked on a few clothing designs in there, so they definitely needed the extra room. Olivia didn't really care what they did with the space, as long as they kept it clean.

The girls had styled and designed their own bedroom by hand. They painted the walls a light lavender color, the floor was covered by thick and fluffy carpet, and they strung lights from the ceiling. Both of them had full sized beds with matching white comforter sets, and they shared the enormous walk in closet.

Ivy was using her iPad when her mother walked in, and her head immediately popped up. She hopped out of bed and walked towards Olivia. 'Is everything okay? What's wrong with Fitz?'

Iris rolled her eyes. They already knew exactly what happened because they had been spying, but she supposed it was best to play dumb. 'What's happening?'

Olivia gently shut the door behind her. 'Everything is going to be alright. Fitz and I are going to have to go to California tomorrow. He is having a few family problems.'

'What kind?' Ivy's eyebrows furrowed.

'That's up to him to share with you.' her head shook. 'It's a private matter, and I don't want to—'

Iris groaned, obviously tried of the game she and her sister were putting on. 'Mama, we already know what happened. Just give us the details.'

'Iris!' Ivy hissed, hoping that she would just shut up.

'What?' her eyebrows furrowed. 'I want to hear the real story!'

'You can't just say that type of stuff!' she argued back.

Olivia immediately put in her face into her hands as she tried to drown out their bickering. A small part of her wondered if it was too late to start handing out spankings, but she knew that wouldn't work. There wasn't enough punishment in the world to help Iris control her mouth, and she had learned to live with it. She sighed and walked past them and sat down on Ivy's bed.

'Can you girls come sit down?' she asked, breaking up the argument.

After seeing the very serious expression on Olivia's face, they stopped going back and forth. They made hurried strides over to Iris' bed so that they could sit across from her.

'First of all, you two shouldn't be spying.' she scolded.

'Sorry, mom.' they both huffed in unison.

Olivia pushed a stray piece of hair out of her face as she tried to figure out the best way to approach their discussion. 'I'm not sure what's going on with Fitz's daughter, but she's obviously going through a lot right now. They still haven't found her, and she's threatening to hurt herself.'

'But, why?' Ivy's eyebrows sunk low.

She shrugged her shoulders. 'Sometimes things are hard, Ivy. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not worth taking her life. She has a family that loves her very much, and I'm sure she'd be greatly missed.'

'Is Fitz okay?' Iris asked softly.

'He's going to be.' she nodded affirmatively. 'Obviously, he's very worried about her. He's on the other side of the country, and he can't do anything to help right now.'

'But, they're going to find her.' Ivy said, more to convince herself than anything else. She didn't even want to imagine how much pain Fitz would be in if he lost his only daughter. 'I'm sure she's just out driving.'

'I agree, Ivy. We need to think positively.' Olivia gave her a very small smile before crossing her legs. 'But, until then, we need to be supportive. I know that you girls aren't his biological children, but we're all a family. You know that. We're going to help in any way possible.'

'So, does that mean we're going to California, too?' Iris' eyebrows raised.

'No.' she shook her head. 'Not this time. I need you girls to go and stay with your grandparents while I'm gone. I shouldn't be away for more than a couple of days.'

Iris groaned. 'Can't we just stay here?'

'Absolutely not.' Olivia said firmly. 'You can either go to your grandparent's house, or you can leave a little early and go to Nebraska with your father.'

Both of the girls immediately perked up at hearing that. They shook their heads. 'No. Never mind. We'll just go to grandma's house.'

Olivia had to keep herself from smirking at their dramatics. The girls both hated Nebraska, and the didn't really like spending time with their father. Edison could be a bit boring at times, and he was a little more strict on them than necessary. They always described their Christmas holiday as more of a prison sentence than a vacation. Not only that, they both knew that he had cheated on their mother, and they were still livid about it.

'I thought that you would see it my way.' she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.

Ivy stood to her feet. 'We already packed your bag, mama. It's in your office.'

Her face softened a bit. 'That was very sweet of you guys. Thank you, I appreciate that.'

Iris stood up as well and walked towards her bedroom door. 'I told Ivy that you should take a bathing suit, but she said it was inappropriate.'

Olivia followed them out of the door. 'I agree with your sister on this one, Iris. I don't really think I'll have time to go swimming.'

Her shoulders shrugged. 'It wouldn't hurt to have it just in case. What if somebody offers you free surfing lessons?'

They crossed the hall towards the office and she nearly snorted. 'Then I just won't go. Or, I could always buy one while I'm there.'

The area had started off as a workspace for Olivia since the girls had their studio room, but she quickly learned that she'd be sharing it. One day after coming home from work, she saw that the girls had put their own desk's in the room. They usually just did their homework in the office in the afternoon, but it was really just an excuse to constantly be right beside their mother. Olivia didn't mind the extra attention, though. She was actually happy that her daughters still wanted to hang out with her.

Ivy opened the door to the room and scoffed. 'That's a terrible idea, mom.'

Olivia's eyebrows raised. 'Why?'

Iris sighed as if the answer was so obvious. They walked over the suitcase where she had placed 3 different options. 'Because no swimsuit could ever match the ones you have. Why buy something cheap when you could be in this fabulous Ralph Lauren 2 piece?'

Ivy held the bikini up to show it off. 'If you're going to the beach, then you need to be in high fashion.'

She took the bathing suit and laid it down on the desk. 'I think you girls should show me what else you packed. I'm a little afraid of what you deemed a necessity.'

Iris nodded and laid Olivia's luggage down flat on the floor and opened it. Sitting right on top was her small makeup case that they had filled to the brim. She unzipped it and pulled out the bottle of perfume that was sitting on top.

'We packed your favorite parfum, just in case you get to go somewhere nice.' she held it up and spritzed it.

Olivia chuckled and took it from her. She was about to make a comment, when she suddenly felt sick. She pressed her hand against her stomach as it knotted up in pain, but she didn't want to scare the girls. Thinking that she had eaten something wrong, she tried to rush out of the room so that she could make it to the toilet.

Ivy saw the way her mother's eyes were now bulging and immediately grew concerned. She gently touched Olivia's arm to get her attention. 'Mommy, what's wrong? Are you okay?'

Iris' head jerked up when she heard her sister speak. 'You look really pale. What's wrong? Say something.'

Olivia shook her head and tried to move past them, but it seemed like she couldn't get out of the room quick enough. She snatched her arm away from Ivy's hand and make swift steps towards the door. Iris had been sitting on the floor, but she stood up so that they could follow behind her.

'Do I need to do CPR?' Iris asked nervously. 'Can you breathe?'

She tried to get them to stop following her by holding her hand up, but that didn't seem to work. Olivia made it no further than the trashcan beside the door before she had to lean down and throw up inside of it. Iris immediately rushed to her side to hold her hair back, but Ivy had always been way more squeamish. She couldn't stand the sight of blood or vomit, so this was making her stomach turn. She held her hand over her mouth as she began to gag.

'Don't you dare do it, Ivy!' Iris rolled her eyes at her sister. 'Go wait in the studio until mom is done.'

Ivy glanced over at them, but the sight made it even worse. She tried to rush out of the door, but didn't make it far. She ended up throwing up in the hallway right outside of the office. Iris sighed and shook her head, but she would have to deal with her later. She only got sick because she saw Olivia throwing up, but there was obviously something wrong with their mother.

Fitz hadn't heard anything going on in the office, but he rushed up the stairs when he heard Ivy in the hall. She sounded like she was choking on something, and he wanted to be sure that she was okay. His nose immediately scrunched up when he saw the contents of her dinner strewed across the carpet. Olivia was just finishing up, but Iris was still rubbing her back and holding the trash bin up to her mouth.

Iris met eyes with Fitz before handing him the garbage can. She stepped around them both to reach Ivy so that she could get her to their bedroom. She was likely to throw up again if she was still around there. Olivia wiped her bottom lip with her pointer finger and coughed before spitting into the trashcan.

'What happened?' Fitz asked as he watched her. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' she nodded. 'It must have been something that I ate.'

'You should go and lay down. I can handle things out here.' he suggested as he put the trashcan down.

'Okay.' Olivia relented as her feet dragged towards her bedroom.

Her first thought was that she was pregnant, but she pushed that out of her mind. She and Fitz were very careful about staying protected when they had sex and they usually used condoms. Every now and then they would get caught up and forget, but she was also on birth control. Besides that, she believed she was too old to have another baby. Iris and Ivy would be going off to college in a couple of years, and she hadn't planned on having more kids at all.

Instead, she started thinking about all of the foods she had eaten today. Before Fitz came over, she and the girls had gone to a seafood restaurant. Olivia assumed that her sudden illness was related to the crabs she had for dinner and made a mental note to watch for any symptoms in the girls.

As soon as she made it to her bedroom, she felt the need to pee again. Olivia made hurried strides to the bathroom and pushed her leggings down so that she could sit on the toilet. She cursed her bladder under her breath, still blaming getting older on her constant need pee.

Fitz helped Iris clean up the mess in the hall, then went to the bedroom to check in on Olivia. He hated to see her sick, but he was glad he was there to support her. Once he opened the door he heard the shower going, and decided to join her. He stripped out of his clothes and threw them in the dirty clothes hamper before going in the bathroom.

Olivia was standing under the running water, but she heard him open the door. She poked her head from behind the curtain and smiled a bit when she took in his naked form. She worked to make space for him and wrapped her arms around his torso as soon as he was in reach.

'Feeling better?' he asked. Fitz gently kissed the top of her head and held her close to him.

'I'm fine. Don't worry about me.' she said as she pressed her cheek against his chest. She usually wasn't so clingy, but for the past few months she had really been craving skin on skin contact with him. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm okay.' he nodded, resting his chin in her hair. 'I don't even know what I would say to Karen if I saw her. I didn't think we'd ever get to this place. I don't know how we got to this place.'

'It's not your fault, Fitz.' Olivia squeezed her arms around his body in a tight hug, but it was more for her benefit than his. Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head, loving how close they felt in that moment. 'She probably has a lot on her mind. She's dealing with boys, and going to college, and whatever else comes along with that.'

Fitz swallowed hard because he actually knew exactly what drove Karen to the edge, but he didn't want to say anything to Olivia about it. He actually felt very much at fault, and he had been trying to think of better ways to handle their situation.

'I just don't want any of this for her.' he said softly. 'I don't know any other way to tell her that I love her and that she's important.'

'Just like that.' Olivia kissed him lightly in between his pectoral muscles before nearly burying her face in that spot. 'When we get to California, those are the exact words you should say.'

Fitz pulled away a bit so that he could look her in her eyes. 'I don't think you should come with me tomorrow.'

Her eyebrows furrowed. 'Why?'

'Because you're obviously not feeling well. I don't want you to get any worse while we're in the air.'

'But, I'm fine.' Olivia assured. 'I think it was the crabs I had for dinner. They obviously didn't agree with me.'

'Olivia, I—'

'Fitz, I'm fine.' she interrupted. 'I want to be there for you.'

'And you will be.' his shoulders lightly shrugged. 'But, in spirit. You need to stay here until we know that you're okay.'

Olivia groaned and pulled herself out of his embrace. She crossed her arms against her chest and looked away from him. 'You always do this, Fitz. You're always finding a reason to cut people off when they're only trying to help you.'

Fitz smiled for the first time since hearing the news about Karen. He grabbed her by her forearm and pulled her back to him. He held her tightly so that she couldn't get away this time. 'You're always trying to slay my dragons, Olivia. I'm a big boy. I can handle this on my own.'

'I know that you can.' she muttered. 'But, you don't have to. I promise that I'll be okay.'

He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers. Fitz was too fired to put a fight tonight, especially since he really wanted her there. 'Fine.'

Olivia smiled and kissed him softly. Her hands gently caressed his back as they shared their moment of peace. Before they could actually shower, they heard Fitz's phone go off on the bathroom counter. He immediately let go of her so that he could step out of the tub and see who was calling. When he saw Mellie's name pop up, he scrambled to answer.

'Hello?' Fitz said, not even bothering to dry off.

Olivia followed him out after turning the shower off. She grabbed two big towels from the linen closet and wrapped her body in one. She tried to stand close enough to Fitz to hear what Mellie was saying, but she wasn't talking loud enough.

'We found her.' she sighed heavily, as if a weight had just been lifted off of her body.

After a tense few hours, Fitz's shoulders finally completely relaxed. 'Is she okay? Was she hurt?'

'No.' Mellie pinched the bridge of her nose. 'She was drunk in the park. We still haven't found my car, but she's fine.'

'Was she blacked out? Do you think anyone did something to her?'

'She's awake and talking. She's going to have a terrible hangover in the morning, but I think she'll be okay.'

'Thank God.' he leaned against the bathroom counter.

Olivia handed him his towel and kissed his cheek, deciding to give him some time to himself so that he could talk to Mellie.

'Are you still coming tomorrow?' she asked after giving him a couple of moments to finally catch his breath.

'I am. I feel like I need to talk to her in person.' Fitz glanced towards the door to make sure that Olivia wasn't in earshot. 'I think this is kind of my fault.'

'What do you mean?' her eyebrows furrowed.

'Today I told the kids that I'm going to propose to my girlfriend.' he said softly, not wanting Olivia to hear. 'The boys were fine, but Karen didn't take it well.'

Mellie's breath hitched in the back of her throat. She and Fitz didn't speak very often, so she really had no idea what was going on in his personal life. She always assumed that he'd bounce back and date again, but she never believed it would get this serious. A part of her was a bit jealous upon hearing the news. Mellie always thought that after they broke up, he'd just be alone and miserable for the rest of his life.

'That's um.' Mellie hesitated a bit. 'That's great, Fitz. I guess congratulations are in order.'

Fitz rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment on her tone. He didn't like Mellie very much, but he knew her well. After spending all those years together, he really didn't have another choice. He could tell that she wasn't very excited for him, but that part didn't matter.

'Thanks.' he said plainly. 'I think that maybe I should talk to her and let her know that things don't have to change just because I'm with somebody now.'

'Well, you know Karen has always been a daddy's girl.' she mused. 'It sounds like she's jealous about another woman having your attention.'

'I'm not trying to make her feel like her emotions aren't valid.' his head shook. 'But, she can't go off and try to kill herself because something isn't going her way. She needs to know that this isn't the answer.'

'I couldn't agree more. What time does your flight arrive tomorrow?'

'Well, the weather has been bad here so none of the planes could take off tonight. We'll have to play it by ear, but hopefully we can leave by 10am.'

'Wait.' her nose crinkled. 'We? Who is we?'

'Oh, I'm bringing Olivia with me. She really wants to come meet the kids and be supportive.' he couldn't help but smile a little at the mere mention of her. 'I think this would be a good time for everyone to meet.'

'Karen just went into crisis mode because you have a serious girlfriend. I don't think that this is the time for everybody to be sitting around playing big happy family.'

'If Karen doesn't want to meet Olivia, then I won't force her to.' he shrugged. 'But, she's still coming. We'll be staying at the Four Seasons a few miles from the house.'

'You are being very selfish, Fitzgerald.' Mellie scolded. 'This is a family affair, and we don't need any outsiders here giving their unwanted opinions.'

'Me? I'm the one that's being selfish?' his eyebrows raised. 'If I'm selfish, then what were you when you were sneaking away from home to have an affair?'

She gasped and the line went quiet for a moment. Fitz thought she hung up, but he should've known better. Mellie was always looking for a fight, and she'd be sure to play the victim once she got one.

'That was low, Fitz.' she grumbled. 'Even for you.'

His eyes rolled. He glanced towards the door once more to make sure that Olivia hadn't come back before he spoke again. 'You took my house, you took my kids, and you tried to take my business. You have done nothing but stoop low for the past 18 years that I've known you. I will see you tomorrow, and that's all I have to say about it.'

Fitz immediately hung up the phone, not giving Mellie enough time to respond again. He tightened the towel around his waist a bit before going into the bedroom where Olivia was. As upset as Mellie made him, he couldn't help the serene smile that took over his face when he saw her.

She immediately walked over to him, still only in her towel. Olivia hugged him tightly and rested her chin on his chest so that she could look up at him. 'What did Mellie say?'

'She says that she will see us tomorrow as soon as our flight lands.' he lied with a smile before smoothing out some of her with the palm of his hand.

'Great.' her lips perked up into a grin. 'I already booked the hotel and let them know that we'll be checking in early. The airline says that the next flight out will be at 8, so we should probably get some rest.'

'I couldn't agree more.' Fitz said right before picking her up into his arms.

Olivia squealed softly and buried her face into the side of his neck as he carried them over to the bed. 'Aren't you glad I made you spend the night?'

'I honestly don't know what I'd do without you.'

Before long, the two of them were crawling into bed and turning off the lamps on the nightstands. Fitz laid down on his back, and Olivia immediately got on top of him and pulled the covers over their bodies. He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close as he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep.

It was only a few minutes later, though, that she was wiggling around against his body. Fitz's eyes popped open as she hopped out of bed. He sat up and watched as she rushed towards the bathroom.

'Are you okay?' he asked, pushing the covers off of his thighs. 'Are you throwing up again?'

'No!' she called back. 'I needed to pee!'

Fitz chuckled. 'Your bladder is terrible, Olivia.'

'I'm getting old.' she groaned loudly.

'We're the same age!' he snorted.

Olivia flushed the toilet then went to wash her hands. She made her way back into the bedroom, her arms crossed against her chest. 'I'm 5 months older than you.'

He shook his head at her. 'I'm getting you a bed pan for your birthday.'

She giggled softly and got in next to him. 'Would you still sleep beside me?'

Fitz pushed the covers back and laid on his side, opening his arms for her. He waited until she was snuggled up against his chest to give his answer. His legs tangled around hers, and her arms nestled in between their bodies.

'Hell no.' he teased with a grin. 'I'll just come in and get what's mine, then I'm out of here.'

Olivia playfully gasped and smacked his chest. 'Fitz!'

* * *

Fitz and Olivia both got up at 5am the next morning. While it wouldn't take long to get to the airport, they still had to drop the girls off with their grandparent's, and make it back in time for their flight. They had both fallen asleep naked, so they had to get up and find something comfortable to wear.

By the time they made it downstairs, the twins were both waiting on them in the kitchen. They could both sense how tense the situation was, and they wanted to help in anyway that was possible. While Ivy heated up a few bagels for everyone, Iris made a pot of coffee and poured it into everyone's travel mugs.

Fitz carried his and Olivia's bags down the stairs and placed them by the front door. He didn't have any spare luggage around, so he was forced to borrow one of her rose gold rolling suitcases. He definielty wouldn't have considered it his personal style, but he knew it was nothing he could do about it at this point.

Despite the fact that he was happy about them finding Karen, he was still a bit tense. He still felt at fault for what had happened, and he knew he'd have to deal with Mellie once they arrived. Fitz put on a brave face, though, once they walked into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat.

'Something smells..' Olivia's nose crinkled as they walked into the kitchen. Whatever it was, it was making her sick to her stomach.

'Burnt.' Fitz completed her sentence. He walked over to the counter where Iris and Ivy were packing things up. 'Did you guys burn bagels?'

'No!' Ivy said, quickly jumping to defend them. 'We tried to make pancakes and they got a little crispy.'

'And I made the coffee.' Iris proudly declared. She walked over to where Olivia who was still standing in the doorway and handed the mug off. '2 creams, 3 sugars for you.'

'Thank you, sweetheart.' she took it and kissed Iris' temple, not mentioning that the smell was making her sick.

'We need to go ahead and get out of here.' Fitz stated, glancing down at his watch. 'We have to catch our flight.'

'Okay!' the girls said in unison before going up the stairs to grab their bags.

Olivia had been trying to hide the look of discomfort on her face, but it was getting to be too much. There was a small half bathroom connected to the kitchen, and she rushed towards it. Fitz assumed that she just had to pee, and didnt think much of the sudden outburst. It wasn't until he heard her throwing up that he went to go check on her.

The bathroom itself was fairly small, but it was just enough room for him to squeeze in. Olivia's hair was already in a bun, so he didn't even bother trying to hold it back. Instead, he reached down and ran his hand over her back a few times in soothing circles. Fitz just prayed she got done before Ivy came back, because then they'd have a real mess on their hands.

Once she was finished, Olivia stood up from the floor and flushed the toilet. She immediately sat down on the toilet and looked up at Fitz. She already knew what he was about to say, although she didn't want to hear it. She sat and watched as he turned the sink on and ran a towel under the water.

'You need to stay here and go to the doctor.' he said, leaving no room for argument this time. Fitz turned back to her and placed the cool towel on her forehead.

'Fitz—'

'This isnt a discussion.' he interrupted. 'I'm going by myself.'

Olivia's eyebrows raised at the tone he was using. Even when they were younger, Fitz always followed her lead. He rarely ever disagreed with her or tried telling her what to do, so this was new. She thought about arguing with him, but she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't going to budge.

'Fine.' she relented, looking away from him.

Fitz gently pushed a piece of her fallen hair back into place and smiled softly. He knew she wanted to be there for him, but he didn't want to put too much on her if she wasn't feeling well. He kneeled down so that he'd be eye level with her.

'I'll be back in a few days. I promise.' he said, clearly attempting to pull her out of her sullen mood.

'I don't think a little nausea should stop me from going.' she grumble. 'What if you need me?'

He intertwined their fingers and rested their hands on her knee. 'Well, I'm going to always need you. That won't change. But, I think I can handle this on my own. I'll call you if things get too out of hand.'

'Will you really?' she eyed him critically.

Fitz chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. 'I promise.'

After forcing Olivia to promise to see a doctor, Fitz left for the airport. He checked his larger luggage in at the gate, but kept his backpack with him with his laptop in it. He wasn't feeling very tired, so he wanted to get some work done on his way to California. His terminal was full, and he ended up sitting in between some older women who were all chatting amongst themselves.

A part of him wished he had brought Olivia along, because now he was lonely and nervous. He knew he made the right decision, though. He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened while they were in the air. He just always felt at peace with her in his arms.

They still had another 45 minutes until take off, so Fitz decided to grab his computer to try and keep his mind off of his problems. As soon as he unzipped it, a few granola bars toppled out. He couldn't help but chuckle because he knew Iris and Ivy were the culprits. He was sure they packed them just in case he needed something to snack on.

He grabbed one and held it in his lap, but put the others away. Fitz pulled his laptop out of it's sleeve and shut the bag once more. Once he opened it, a card fell out. It looked pretty crude and was clearly made out of construction paper, but he recognized the girl's handwriting. Once he opened it he saw 'We love you' written in glitter on one side, and the picture they took at the tree farm on the other side.

Fitz couldn't help but smile when he saw his gift. One of the older women sitting beside him had been watching nosily, and couldn't help but notice the grin on his face. She lightly touched his shoulder to grab his attention.

'Those your kids?' she asked, now looking directly at the picture.

He opened his mouth to say 'no', but then decided against it. It was no need to explain the nuances of his relationship to the girls to some stranger at the airport. 'Just two of them.'

'You have a very beautiful family.' she complimented.

Fitz looked down at the picture once more and nodded his head. 'I do.'

* * *

Fitz's nose immediately crinkled once he arrived at his destination. He hadn't been back to California since his divorce was finalized, and he definitely didn't miss it. During his flight he tried his best to work on some things, but he couldn't tear his mind off of Karen and how she was doing. Fitz honestly wasn't even sure if she wanted to see him, so this entire trip could've really been for nothing.

He immediately went to baggage claim to find his suitcase, then went to hail a taxi. Despite being away for so long, he knew exactly which way to go, so the trip was pretty painless. As soon as he made it to his hotel and checked in, he went up to his room.

Olivia was the one who booked the room, and he hated that she wasn't there to see it. They had a beautiful view of the city, and she had never been to California before. He knew she would have loved it.

Even though he had seen the view over a thousand times, Fitz still took his phone out to snap a few pictures for her to see once he returned. Iris and Ivy had also been begging for a California trip, so he was sure that they'd enjoy the scenery as well.

Once he was pleased with his photos, he called Olivia to let her know that he had made it safely. Fitz flopped down on the bed and kicked his shoes off of his feet while he waited on her to answer.

'Hello?' she answered on the second ring. Olivia had her phone right beside her, waiting on his phone call.

'Hi.' he smiled softly, glad to hear her voice again.

'Hi.' she cooed through the other line. 'How was your flight? Did everything go okay?'

'My flight was great, actually.' he responded before turning over to look out of the window. 'The girls put about 100 granola bars in my bag, so I guess I won't need to make any food runs.'

Olivia chuckled because that definitely sounded like something that the girls would do. 'Would you believe that they tucked me into bed and made me eat soup?'

'They didn't.' he laughed in disbelief.

'Im serious.' she giggled. 'I don't think they've ever seen me sick before, because they're acting like I'm dying. They have me on a very strict sleeping and fluids schedule, and they aren't letting me leave my room. Ivy believes that the house has germs that are weakening my immune system, so they are disinfecting the house and deep cleaning the carpets.'

Fitz burst into laughter, tears lightly pricking his eyes. 'I'm sorry, Liv. That's hilarious.'

'It is not.' she huffed. 'None of this is funny, Fitz!'

'Okay, okay.' he said, trying to calmed himself down. 'What else do the girls have planned for you today? A sponge bath?'

'No.' Olivia hummed softly, deciding that she wanted to make him suffer a bit for teasing her. 'I only want a bath from one person.'

Fitz's ears immediately perked up once he heard that, and he sat up in bed. 'Oh, really? Who is that?'

'Well, my boyfriend has these really big, strong hands.' she purred softly. 'And he knows just how to reach all my spots.'

'He sure does.' he grinned as an image of Olivia sitting naked in her bathtub flashed in his head.

Before Fitz could say anything else, he heard some commotion going on on Olivia's end. He raised his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what the noise was, but it became fairly obvious one he heard Iris' voice.

'Sorry, Fitz.' Iris said after snatching the phone away from Olivia. 'Mommy needs her rest and you're keeping her from doing that. Visiting hours are from 5pm-6:30pm our time. Please call back then.'

The line went dead before he could even respond and Fitz immediately laughed and shook his head. Deciding that he had wasted enough time in his hotel room, he got up and headed over to Mellie's house. She still stayed in the home he bought for them years ago, so he knew exactly how to get there.

The hotel had a car rental service, and Olivia had already reserved one for them to use while they were there. It was a small Honda Civic, but it would do just fine for his trip there. The concierge gave him the keys, and Fitz went down to the parking garage to pick it up.

His 10 minute drive felt more like an hour as his nerves started to get to him again. Fitz knew that overthinking the situation would only make it worse, but he couldn't help himself. As he pulled up to the neighborhood, he saw that not much had changed around the area. There was still a guard booth towards the front that required an I.D. to get in, but the security guard recognized his face and waved him through.

The house was one of the bigger ones towards the back, and he drove slowly until he came up on it. Fitz parked his rental car on the street, not even bothering to lock it as he got out. Mellie enjoyed keeping the garden and lawn done, so there were flowers everywhere, and the grass was perfectly cut. She had repainted the outside to white, and there was now a white fence surrounding the house.

Teddy and Gerry had been expecting their father all day, and were both waiting in their windows for him to arrive. Fitz glanced up and saw his boy's heads poking up from behind their glass. He took a moment to wave at him, and watch as both of their face's lit up. They both quickly ran away and Fitz simply chuckled and headed towards the front door.

The fence didn't have a lock on it, so it was pretty easy to get through. There was a small pathway leading towards the porch, but he didn't make it far. Gerry was rushing out of the door moments later to greet his father.

'Dad!' he grinned and jumped down from the porch to hug him.

Fitz opened up his arms and squeezed him tightly. 'Goodness, kid! You've gotten tall!' he chuckled.

The last time he saw Gerry in person he still had to look down to see him. Today, they were almost eye to eye. Moments later, Teddy came out with tears in his eyes.

'Wait, Gerry! I want to say hey to dad, too!' he whined, wearing nothing but a pair of Paw Patrol boxer briefs. He wanted to be the first person down the stairs, but his older brother definitely had him beat.

Fitz smirked and let go of Gerry, then held his arms out for Teddy. 'I'm right here, Ted. You can still come say hello.'

Teddy huffed and rubbed his eyes before stomping towards Fitz. He stuck his tongue out at Gerry before embracing their father, tears still falling down his cheeks. 'Gerry is so mean to me!'

Fitz hugged him tightly and picked him up in his arms, hitching him at his hip. 'I'm sure he didn't mean it, Teddy. He was just excited to see me.'

The three of them walked towards the house as Teddy and Gerry both talked Fitz's ears off about what all they wanted to do before he left California. They had made a list that included rock climbing, sky diving, a helicopter ride, test driving a Tesla, and maybe digging up some dinosaur bones if time allotted. He didn't have the heart to tell him that none of those things would be happening, but he would let them dream.

Mellie had also been waiting on Fitz's arrival, but she wasn't nearly as excited as the boys. She had been in the kitchen drinking tea when she heard his car pull up. She was going to let him into the house, but when she heard the boys barreling down the stairs then she knew it would be best to stay out of their way.

It had been a long time since she and Fitz were in the same room together, and they hadn't exactly separated on good terms. In the past couple of years she had caught a few of glances at him while the kids were doing video calls, but this was different. This time they'd be up close and personal with nothing between them.

Mellie loved her husband with all her heart, but that didn't stop her from wearing something a little extra today. She usually lounged around the house with an old t-shirt and some sweatpants, but today she decided on something a bit more formal. She had gone to the Nike store to pick up some formfitting leggings, and a matching tank top. Her hair was up in a bun, and she had on just a touch of perfume. This bottle in particular had been sitting in the back of her vanity for a while, though. It had always been Fitz's favorite.

After hearing that Fitz had moved on and that he was brining his new girlfriend, Mellie felt the need to bring her appearance up. She wanted to show them that she wasn't just his frumpy, bitter, ex-wife. It also would have been a major boost to her ego to see him still checking her out after all these years.

She took a deep breath and adjusted her tank top a bit to show just a little more cleavage than necessary. Mellie was sure that whoever this new woman was wouldn't hold a candle to her in the looks department. She never once thought that Fitz would find somebody better than her.

Mellie walked into the living room where they were all sitting down. She made it a point to sway her hips a bit as she paraded herself in front of him. 'Fitzgerald.' she acknowledged cooly.

'Hi, Mel.' he said with a smile of his own, although this was obviously not the response she was looking for. He seemed to not even care that she had bought this brand new outfit for him to see.

She glanced around the room as if she was looking for something. 'I see somebody is missing.'

Fitz chuckled because he could tell that Mellie was just trying to get a rise out of him. He wouldn't allow her to make him out of character in front of his boys, though. 'Something came up.'

He could have just as easily told Mellie that Olivia was sick and couldn't make it, but he didn't think it was necessary. It wasn't any of her business, and he didn't feel obligated to give her any answers on where his girlfriend was.

Teddy was sitting in Fitz's lap, and obviously hadn't noticed the rising tension between his parents. He put on his hands on his dad's face and squeezed his cheeks together. 'I can't believe you're home with us. Are you real?'

Fitz snorted and removed his small, sticky fingers from his face. 'I'm very real, Teddy.'

'Maybe if your dad visited more often, you kids wouldn't be so shocked to see him.' Mellie said, clearly digging at Fitz. She sat down on the opposite sofa and watched them interact.

Nobody in the room seemed to be paying much attention to what Mellie was saying, though, because Teddy was too busy kissing Fitz's cheeks. He had always been very affectionate, and he was glad he hadn't grown out of it. Gerry was going down the list of things that he wanted to do while Fitz was in town.

'Can we at least go to the mall, dad?' he asked. 'I want an iPad.'

'You're not getting an iPad.' Fitz commented, still refusing to give in. 'But, we can go somewhere special if you'd like.'

'How long are you going to be here, daddy?' Teddy asked, now running his hands through Fitz's curls.

'I'm not sure yet.' his shoulders lightly shrugged. 'But, I'll definitely be here for a few days.'

'Are you going to stay in my room?' he cocked his head to the side.

Fitz smirked and shook his head. 'No, I won't. I'm staying in a hotel, but it's super close to here so that means I can see you everyday.'

Teddy's jaw dropped and he pressed the palms of his hands to his own cheeks. 'Everyday?'

'Fitz.' Mellie cleared her throat. 'Can I speak with you for a moment? Alone.'

'Aw, mom.' Gerry groaned. 'Dad just got here. I have so much to tell him.'

Fitz ruffled his hair a bit. 'We have plenty of time to hang out, Gerry. Let me talk to your mom.'

The boys both sighed, but made their way up the stairs. Mellie waited until she heard both of their bedroom doors shut to address Fitz. She crossed her legs and leaned forward in his direction so that she could still whisper.

'What's all this about seeing the boys everyday?' she cut her eyes at him.

Fitz relaxed against the couch, clearly not intimidated with the show Mellie was trying to put on. 'Well, I'm going to be here for a few days. Doesn't it just make sense that I see the kids while I'm here?'

'We still have to live on our schedule, Fitzgerald.' she sassed back to him. 'You can just come in offering to do all the fun stuff. We have things planned.'

'You had things planned. I'm sure you all won't be going on your Christmas vacation now, considering the circumstances.' he shot her a pointed look. 'And, furthermore, I'm not about to let you scare me away from my children. If I need to I will go to the courts and let them know that you haven't been holding up on your end of the bargain for visitation. I'll sue for split custody and—'

'And that would be selfish.' she interjected. 'You live on the other side of the country. It wouldn't be fair to ask the kids to have to fly back and forth like that.'

'Well, I'll apply for full custody.' he crossed his arms against his chest, ready for a challenge. 'I've finally gotten myself settled in on the east coast, and I've been looking for a house to accommodate everyone. Don't force my hand, Mellie. I'm trying to be as civil as possible.'

She rolled her eyes and looked away from him. 'You can never just let things go, can you?'

'Not when it comes to my kids.' he shook his head. 'Now, where is Karen?'

'Pete took her to the doctor to be examined by a professional.' she said, still not looking at him. Mellie glanced down at her watch to check the time. 'They should be back any minute now.'

Fitz simply nodded his head, but didn't question her any further. He wanted to go upstairs and check on the boys, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries, either. The room was filling with awkward silence since it was now just the two of them. He could practically hear the clock on the wall ticking away.

'So, you really are getting married?' she asked. Mellie wanted to seem like she was just making conversation, but they both knew she was being nosy.

'Well, I haven't asked her yet.' he shrugged his shoulders. 'But, things are pretty serious.'

'What's her name?'

He laughed humorlessly. 'Excuse me?'

'I asked you a simple question.' she finally turned back to him, now glaring. 'You want to keep the kids more often and have them around, so I'd like to know who she is. I want to know more about the woman you're going to have around my children.'

'I definitely didn't get that same courtesy.' he jabbed, causing Mellie to scoff and look away from him once more. Deciding to be the bigger person, he cleared his throat and prepared an answer. 'Her name is Olivia Pope, she's a lawyer, and she was two kids of her own. They're just a little bit younger than Karen.'

'Where'd you meet her?'

Fitz sighed, but played along. 'We met in high school, but we got disconnected after graduation. I saw her again at my reunion last year.'

Mellie was quiet for a few moments, but Fitz knew that it wasn't the end of their conversation. She was just thinking of something to say, and he had a feeling he wouldn't like it.

'So, she was the one.' she muttered softly.

His eyebrows raised. 'What was that?'

She put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. 'She was the one you were in love with when we first met.'

'What are you talking about?'

'When we first dating and spending the night over at each other's houses, sometimes you could talk in your sleep. Most of the things I couldn't make out, but I always heard one name.' her eyebrows knitted together. 'Olivia. And, I had no idea who she was. We didn't know any Olivia at school, so I just assumed it was something you made up in your dream. But, now I see.'

Fitz wanted to deny it, but he knew he couldn't. Those first few years without Olivia were the hardest for him. He missed her so much, but he knew it was nothing he could do about it. They had graduated, and she had moved on with Edison. He didn't want to ruin that for her.

Instead, he took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry you had to hear that, Mel.'

She waved him off. 'It's fine.'

Before their conversation could continue, they heard the garage door opening. They both straightened up in their seats, knowing that Pete and Karen would be coming through the door any second now. Fitz could feel his palms sweating a bit, but he tried his best not to let that show.

Karen came in first with her head hung low. After last night, she felt very embarrassed by her actions. She still didn't want Fitz to marry Olivia, but her behavior had everyone worried. Pete and Mellie were still breathing down her shoulders, and Fitz had to travel all the way across the country to check on her.

Once she entered the living room, Fitz immediately stood up to give Karen a hug. Before he could get too close, though, she ran up the stairs and to her room. He swallowed hard. Obviously he had a lot of work to do before he left California.

Pete came in next, and immediately went to Mellie's side. He gave her a hug and kissed her temple.

'Hey, baby.' Mellie said, not releasing him just yet. She wanted to show Fitz that they were still very much madly in love and happy.

He simply smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. Pete extended his freehand out to Fitz. 'Nice to see you again, Fitzgerald.'

Fitz had to keep himself from making a face at Pete's gesture. The last time he saw Pete, he was moving into his house to stay with his wife and children. He was sure that he was an overall good guy, but Fitz didn't want anything to do with him.

'I suppose.' he responded dryly as he shook hands with Pete.

'So, what did the doctor say?' Mellie asked.

'She's fine. No scratches or bruises. They recommend she go and see a therapist and that she works to get to the root of her problems.' he said, shooting a look at Fitz.

Fitz rolled his eyes, but ignored Pete's comment. He already felt very much at fault for the situation at hand, and he didn't need anybody else reminding him of that. Instead, he pushed both of his hands into his pockets and turned to Mellie.

'Mind if I go upstairs and talk to her?' he asked, gesturing to the staircase.

Mellie shook her head. 'Go right ahead. I'm not sure how willing she'd be to hear you out.'

Fitz nodded his head, a simple show of gratitude, then headed towards the stairs. It was a very strange feeling of deja vu as he headed down the hallway. Mellie hadn't changed much to the house, but it still felt different. There were pictures and family portraits all over the walls, and he was almost positive that the carpet was different. It definitely wasn't his anymore.

Karen's room was the last one on the right, and her door was shut. The boys were both preoccupied playing a video game, so he tiptoed past them. Fitz knocked on Karen's door a couple of times, but didn't get an answer.

'Karen.' he called out softly. 'Karen, it's me.' Fitz said, as if she couldn't recognize his voice.

He waited a few moments to receive an answer, but he got nothing. Fitz reached down and grabbed the door knob and attempted to twist it, but she had locked it from the inside. He sighed and shook his head before knocking again.

'I know you're in there.' he said, now leaning against the frame. 'I just want to talk to you. I didn't come all this way to pick a fight.'

'At least tell me you're okay.' he pleaded. After the previous night's scare, he wanted to be sure she wasn't hurting herself. 'I'm going to let myself in if you don't say something.'

Karen knew that Fitz was serious by that point, and the last thing she wanted was for her door to be broken down. 'I'm fine.' she hissed.

'Good.' Fitz nodded his head and sat down by the door. He pressed his back into the wood so that he could prop himself up. 'I'm just going to sit here then until you're ready to talk. I'll stay here all night if I have to.'

Karen didn't respond, but Fitz knew that she heard him. He was hoping that that would make her get up and let him in, but he was wrong. She didn't even get out of bed.

A few hours later, Mellie made her way up the stairs. She was surprised to find Fitz sitting outside of Karen's door, but she expected as much. Their daughter was one of the most stubborn people she had ever met, and she wasn't going to just let this go that easily.

She stopped by the boy's room to tell them to wash up for dinner, then made her way down the hall where Fitz was sitting. Mellie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

'She still not budging?' she asked, glancing down at the locked doorknob.

'Nope.' he sighed. 'Not at all.'

'Well, we're about to have dinner downstairs. You're welcome to join us.' she said in a sympathetic tone. 'That is, if you'd like.'

Fitz considered her offer for a moment, but then shook his head. His stomach had been growling, but he refused to give in. He told Karen that he'd be there for her when she was ready, and he meant it. 'Thanks, but I think I'll be okay here. She may need me.'

Mellie nodded her head and turned on her heels before heading downstairs. As much as she and Fitz didn't get along, he was a great father. That was something she'd never be able to fault him on.

Fitz reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out one of the granola bars he had grabbed earlier. He couldn't help but smile as he thought about his other girls home in Virginia. He was sure that Iris and Ivy were torturing his poor Livvie with their terrible nursing skills, and she was probably fussing at them for treating her like a child.

Teddy ran out of his bedroom, still only in his underwear, and was about to head down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Fitz sitting outside of Karen's door. He turned on his heels and plopped down in his father's lap instead. He gently placed both his hands on Fitz's cheeks and turned his head so that they'd face one another.

Fitz chuckled softly. 'That's not how you get people's attention, Teddy. I hope you don't do that to the kids in school.'

'Only sometimes.' he assured, still not releasing his face. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm going to wait right here for Karen to come out so that I can talk to her.' he gently explained. 'What are you doing?'

'Getting ready for dinner.' he smiled and sat back in Fitz's lap with his back on his chest. 'Daddy, I missed you.'

He smiled and wrapped his arms around Teddy's body and kissed the top of his head. 'I missed you too, son.'

'Can I have some of your granola?' he asked, gesturing to the protein bar Fitz had pulled out of his pocket.

Fitz's stomach immediately growled, clearly not liking the idea of sharing. Instead, he just unwrapped the granola bar and held it up to Teddy's mouth. 'I don't want you to spoil your appetite.'

'I'm going to go get my dinner and eat with you!' he declared proudly.

Gerry immediately poked his head out of his bedroom door. 'Can I eat in the hallway too, dad?'

'You both are going to have to ask your mother first.' he gave them both a very pointed look. 'I don't make the rules around here.'

'Okay, daddy!' Teddy said before laying a wet kiss on Fitz's nose. He stood up and ran down the stairs to ask Mellie if they could eat with Fitz, with Gerry right on his tail.

Fitz balled up his fist and knocked on Karen's door. 'I'm still here, Karen. Ready to talk when you are.'

Just as he suspected, there was no response. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps coming back up the stairs. Teddy ran back up first, but Gerry was walking behind him with 3 plates of food. Fitz was a bit surprised Mellie was allowing this to happen considering that her house rule was that you could only eat in the dining room.

Teddy took his seat back in Fitz's lap and Gerry distributed the food. Mellie had baked some chicken and steamed a few vegetables so it wasn't much, but anything would do at this point. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, so he was very appreciative.

After saying grace, they all dug into their meals. Fitz's nose immediately crinkled once he tasted the food. He had forgotten that Mellie wasn't the best cook, and apparently she hadn't gotten any better over the past few years.

'Dad, what's it like in Virginia?' Gerry asked, leaning his head in on Fitz's shoulder as he ate.

'It's nice.' he smiled. 'It's kind of cold out there right now. It was a lot of snow and ice when I left.'

'Do you go snowboarding, daddy?' Teddy asked as he shoved a whole piece of broccoli in his mouth.

Fitz chuckled. 'No, I don't really like going out in the cold you guys.'

'Do you see a lot of your old friends now that you're back home?' Gerry questioned.

'I do.' he nodded his head and stuck another piece of food in his mouth. 'I have some great friends named Hollis and Andrew and we hang out sometimes.'

The boys grew quiet for a few moments, but Fitz knew the conversation wasn't over. Just like their mother, they needed time to think and figure out how they wanted to say certain things.

'So what is Olivia like?' Gerry finally asked after almost a full minute of silence.

Fitz couldn't help but smile once he heard her name. 'She's great, Gerry. I'm sure you boys would really like her.'

'Does she have any other kids for me to play with?' Teddy asked with a full mouth.

'Well, she doesn't really have any kids your age.' he said sympathetically. Fitz pulled his cellphone out and went through his photos until he came across one of Olivia and the girls. 'But, she does have two daughters.'

Gerry immediately snatched the phone out of Fitz's hands and grinned widely. 'Woah. They're hot.'

Fitz's eyebrows furrowed. 'Knock it off, Ger.'

Teddy had to lean over Fitz to see the picture that was now in Gerry's hand. 'Who is the other girl?'

'What other girl?' he snatched his phone back from Gerry who had been staring for just a bit too long for his liking.

'That one.' Teddy pointed to Olivia, who was standing in between Iris and Ivy.

'Oh.' he chuckled. 'That's my girlfriend Olivia, Teddy.'

'Woah.' Gerry's nostrils flared out and he whispered, making sure nobody else could hear what he said. 'You hit the jackpot, dad. She's hot.'

'You've got one more time to make a comment like that.' he warned, giving him a look to let him know he meant business.

Gerry ignored his father's warning. 'What are their names?'

'Iris and Ivy.' he responded, pointing them both out.

'How old are they?'

'Gerry, these are going to be your step-sisters very soon.' he turned his phone off and slid it back into his pocket.

' _Step_ \- sister, dad.' he grinned. 'They're free game.'

'Daddy, what's free game?' Teddy asked curiously.

'What Gerry is going to be if he doesn't pull himself together.' his eyes rolled.

Downstairs, Mellie and Pete were sitting at the table alone and eating dinner. They both felt a bit slighted after being abandoned by the boys for their family meal. Fitz had only been there for a few hours, but they were making it clear who they preferred.

Instead of being upset over the situation, the two of them decided to simply not address it. Fitz would be gone again soon, and their lives would be back to normal. Pete didn't exactly like the idea of his wife's ex-husband hanging around the house, either, so he'd try to avoid socializing with him at all costs.

A few hours later the boys finally went back to their rooms to get ready for bed. It was getting late, and Karen still wasn't budging. Pete had passed by Fitz, who was still waiting in the hallway, and almost felt bad for him. Mellie knew that Fitz was willing to wait all night, but this was getting a bit out of hand.

She carefully approached Fitz, whose eyes were now starting to slowly shut. 'Are you sure you don't want to just wait downstairs? Or maybe sleep in the guest room?'

Fitz immediately shook his head. 'No, thank you. I'm fine. But, if you want me out of here then I can go. I'll just be back in the morning.'

A huge part of Mellie wanted to kick him out of the house, but she knew that was wrong. He needed to show Karen that he was there for her, and she understood that. She immediately raised her hands and shook her head. 'Stay there for as long as you want. You know where everything is around here so feel free to eat or use the restroom.'

'Thanks, Mel.' he gave her a small smile.

Mellie returned the favor before going to her bedroom and shutting the door behind her. Pete was already asleep, but she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. There were lots of things she didn't like about Fitz, he certainly wasn't a perfect man, but seeing this side of him reminded her of some of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place.

After a few minutes had passed, she decided to check on him again. They may not have been married anymore but when it came to the kids, they were in this together. She grabbed a blanket out of her closet to wrap it around her body while she sat with him.

As soon as she opened her door, she could hear snoring from down the hall. Initially she thought it was Gerry, but it was way too loud to be coming from his room. Instead, she found Fitz with his face in his hands and his eyes shut.

Instead of waking him, she walked over and threw the covers over his body. He didn't seem to budge much as the material wrapped around him.

Maybe he wasn't as bad as she made him out to be.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think will happen next! I'm excited to hear it!**_


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